Golden Scales
by Shiloh Moon
Summary: For fifteen years Edward Elric lives his life mistakenly believing that he is a human being. But when his world is turned upside down after discovering the truth, will he be able to stand up and face a new threat on his own? Or will he find himself needing help from some unlikely allies?
1. Chapter 1

Golden Scales Chapter 1

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

 **Warnings: Foul language and not-so-mild violence.**

 **Posting Schedule: Every** _ **Monday**_ **and** _ **Thursday**_ **until completion.**

 **Author's Notes (IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!): I started writing this story over a year ago and stopped when I was very close to finishing. I stopped because I thought my writing was crap and didn't deserve to be posted, which was a shame since I'd written over 40 chapters. But now I realize that letting it rot on my computer isn't the right way to treat something I worked so hard on for so long. It may have massive plot-holes, horribly mangled characterization, and outstandingly unrealistic event chains, but it's still something I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into. Even though my writing was simply awful, I wrote this story with love. Also, I've seen** _ **so**_ **much worse posted on here. I mean, at least I did the best I could with proof reading and making sure things were loosely following canon material.**

 **Also, in the interest of upholding my reputation for posting complete pieces, I will attempt to finish this. Since I'm only posting two chapters per week that gives me plenty of time to do so. However, I cannot guarantee those add-on chapters will have the same flow and rhythm as the rest of the story. I wrote this a long time ago and my writing has probably changed a little bit since then. Hopefully for the better.**

 **Anyway, I guess what I'm saying here is read at your own risk. This story, in my one-year-later opinion, is a crude shot in the dark. I could've done so much better. But there's no sense in trying again when the best I could do was this.**

o.O.0.O.o

"What do you mean 'I'm on lock down'?!" I exclaimed.

The man pressed his elbows into the desk. "I mean just that, Fullmetal. Over the last few months, reports have been pouring in about a band of serial killers. As far as we can conclude, they only target children under sixteen years of age. As a precautionary measure, the State believes it would be in your best interest to leave the city until the issue is resolved."

My eyes widened. "But that could take forever! And why am I the only one who has to leave?!"

"Look, that's all the information I was given," the Colonel explained, "These orders came directly from the Fuhrer."

I paused. "The Fuhrer?"

He gave me an arched eyebrow and a smirk.

"Yes. So if you have any complaints I suggest you take it up with _him_."

I stood there for a moment collecting my thoughts. The Fuhrer? Why would the Fuhrer involve himself in such a small case? The only reason I could think of is that he was covering up a larger case with the façade of a smaller one lest it put the citizens of Amestris in a panicked frenzy. But then… what was the Fuhrer hiding?

I shook my head and shot one last glare at my commanding officer before turning on my heel.

"One more thing, Fullmetal," the man said, stopping me at the door frame, "You've been assigned escorts to see you safely to Resembool. They're waiting for you outside."

I whipped my head around to face him. "Resembool?! What— Why Resembool?!"

He threw his hands up in the air. "Don't ask me! I already told you I don't know!"

A scowl crept across my face. Maybe my earlier theory didn't hold as much water as I'd thought. I blew a sigh through my nose before exiting the office and slamming the door shut behind me.

o.O.0.O.o

Despite the newborn conspiracy theory bogging down my mood, the next few minutes of my day sailed smoothly. Once I'd stepped outside, the sight of my brother waiting for me by the fountain lifted my spirits. Not one cloud marred the sky. The wind carried the scent of the wildflowers that grew in peculiar places around the city. It was a beautiful day.

As soon as Alphonse spotted me, he rose and jogged over to where I'd stopped.

"Brother!" he asserted happily, "Guess what happened when you were gone. Go on, guess!"

I tilted my head and scratched my scalp. "Umm…. You found another stray cat?"

"Nope! You're close though. Guess again."

I sighed. "Al, we don't have time for this."

" _Come on_ ," he whined, "Pleeeeeaaase?"

I took a quick glance at the clock tower before rolling my eyes and guessing, "Another squirrel walked up to you?"

"Bingo! Only, this time it actually climbed up on me. When I moved, it jumped off and ran away, but isn't that _cool_?!"

"Sure, Al. Now let's go." I said, beginning my gait southward.

The armor fell in step with me before asking, "Where are we going, Brother? A new mission?"

I frowned. "Not exactly. The Fuhrer is sending us to Resembool to wait out a case outside Central. But I have a feeling there's more to this than what he's letting on."

"Sir! Mr. Elric, wait!" a far off voice wheezed.

Knitting my brow, I halted and scanned the area. Finally, my eyes fell on a couple of soldiers running to catch up with us. A man with bronze hair and a woman with short black hair. They appeared to be out of breath. I scowled and sneered at my rotten memory.

"Who are they?" Alphonse asked.

"They're our _escorts_ ," I spat, turning around again.

"Sir! Please wait! We have orders—"

"You have orders to hound me!" I finished angrily. "That doesn't mean I have to wait for you to keep up. C'mon, Al."

Instead of walking with me, the armor pulled back to fall in step with the soldiers. He then greeted them politely and introduced himself. I mentally scoffed at this. Nonetheless, I ignored them as I continued on my way.

o.O.0.O.o

Two hours later brought us to the next train for Resembool. With our bags packed, the military dogs nipping at our heels, and the bright sun casting great shadows from anything that stood, we boarded at sunset. Not the timeliest portion of the day to begin one's journey south, but it was the only train we could find that left that same day.

Nonetheless, once we were all seated, I watched as a beautiful array of colors struck the sky one in the waning daylight. Sunsets always fascinated me, as they had with a lot of other people, I was sure. It was a satisfying closing note, a cheerful farewell, and a happy ending all wrapped into one amazing display. Down here on earth, happy endings were a rare happening, at least they were rare in my lifespan so far.

But anything was possible in the sky.

An enormous, burning gas-giant planet could be seen from millions of miles away, and it heated our planet to the perfect temperatures to sustain life. Countless other gas-giants from countless other solar systems could also be seen from here, and they appeared to us in the form of a breathtaking ceiling of glowing dots. A ceiling that, if gazed upon at the right time of night, made you feel so small and insignificant in comparison to the epic vastness of the universe.

I'd hoped that I could one day explore that vastness. Maybe become an astronomer and work as a geologist on the side. But those silly dreams were destroyed in the same disaster that took my brother's body. Now, after so long of trying to amend my horrible mistake, I often forgot how my life might've turned out if I had just stayed young and ignorant to the world's unforgiving cruelty.

It wasn't long before my prolonged zoned-out state arose concern.

"Brother?" Alphonse asked, tapping my shoulder.

I blinked before pulling myself from my thoughts and looking up at him.

He continued, "You were making that face again."

I could feel my expression soften. "Sorry, Al. I was just… thinking."

When I looked out the window again, the light of the sun had waned completely. Without my notice, the train's lights were dimmed to accommodate the slumbering passengers. It wasn't long before I joined them.

o.O.0.O.o

Twenty minutes later, I jolted awake from my short nap. A stinging shock zipped through my arm port, jarring both my mind and my shoulder. After a moment, I let myself relax again, blaming it on the need to adjust my port now that I was getting older. A few minutes later, the pain returned with a vengeance, causing me to clench my teeth and hold my shoulder.

"Brother?" Al asked worriedly, keeping his voice down, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." I growled through my teeth.

The armor sighed. "It's your automail, isn't it?"

"No…"

"Ed!"

"Okay fine!" I snapped, "So what if it is? It's not a big deal."

Alphonse crossed his arms. He would've scowled if he could.

"Brother. You can't ignore something like that. What if it's an infection? You could lose even more of your shoulder if you don't treat it in time!"

"It's not an infection! It just aches! It's probably going to rain soon or something."

The armor didn't look convinced, but he said, "I hope so, Brother. If it is an infection, Winry will want to remove the port."

I paled. Before I could open my mouth to speak again, someone else asked,

"Are you alright, Sir?"

I glanced over my shoulder to see my escorts' worried faces. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"I'm fine," I answered tiredly, giving my armored brother a pointed look.

"Are you sure?" the other one pressed, "I know first aid, if that helps any."

I turned around to face them. "Really, I'm fine. You can go back to spying on us now. _Silently_."

My words probably didn't dissipate their worries, but they sank lower into their seats and said nothing else.

I sighed. I knew the train ride to Resembool was a long trip. And on most days, I actually enjoyed the prolonged journey before getting hit in the head with a wrench. But now, I found myself wishing the distance wasn't so lengthy. Even if I'd have to deal with a crazy, wrench-throwing woman when we finally arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

Golden Scales Chapter 2

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

A half an hour later, we disembarked. Hot summer wind dipped down to greet us. I breathed in its scent, filling my lungs with bittersweet longing and homesickness. I never told anybody. Not even Alphonse. But I would always miss this place. And whenever I came back, I privately pretended that I'd never have to leave again.

It was silly, though. As long as Al still needed his body back, I would always have to leave again. Coming home would have to wait for as long as that took.

I glanced up at my armored brother. A shell. Not even what he used to look like, but quite the opposite. A pang of regret tugged at my stomach, and I shook my head, refocusing on the road in front of us. So far, keeping my eyes forward has been what's kept me going, and that pesky self-loathing at bay. I took another deep breath and, after a couple of farewells from our escorts, I lead my brother towards the southern end of town.

I ignored the town as we passed, for the most part. I'd seen it enough times in my life to navigate it blindfolded. The people there, what little was left of them, waved and smiled at us. Alphonse waved back, compensating for my lack of enthusiasm. I viewed it as a waste of time. We'd just be leaving again anyway. No point in getting excited over seeing someone who you'll only be with for a few weeks at the most.

Just as I finished that thought, a searing pain flitted through my shoulder. I clenched my teeth again. An unmistakable ache gripped the area, and the pain that racked my shoulder before returned. This time, four stabs of it shocked my system before disappearing again. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. I opened them again, and I could feel little sparks of discomfort here and there. A few minutes later it faded.

I looked up at my brother to find the armor standing menacingly above me, arms crossed, red soul-fire glaring down at me.

"Brother," he said, his voice deceptively calm, "If you don't say anything about this while we're there, I swear to God I'll knock you into next week."

I swallowed and replied, "Got it."

With that, we stepped onto a familiar long stretch of gravel. We could spy the house from there, just past a few grassy hills. Dread settled in my chest. On the train, I wanted to get away from my worrisome escorts. With them long gone, I found myself wishing for a longer distance again. I was definitely not looking forward to that metal wrench.

o.O.0.O.o

"Brother? Are you… humming?"

The blond teen stopped a second time and blinked despite himself. Humming? Him? Was Al joking?

"Ummm, no?" he replied.

The armor didn't look convinced. "Ummm, yes. Yes you were."

"I don't hum, Al! Now drop it."

"Whatever you say, Brother…"

He could practically feel the vein on his forehead pulsing, but he chose to keep his mouth shut.

A few minutes passed before Edward noticed it: humming. Soft and barely audible, but, most importantly, coming from him. The teen didn't stop. He listened to it. The melody, a light and cheerful song, sounded vaguely familiar. Like something he used to hear all the time as a child. Something his mother might've sung to him.

After listening to a few verses, Edward forced himself to stop. From then on he made a point to monitor his vocal activity. A few minutes later they reached the door of the Rockbell house.

Faster than Edward could blink, the door slammed open and a single steel wrench sailed right for his forehead, full throttle.

 _ **Whack!**_

A strangled scream could be heard for miles in the vast land of the countryside. The scream ebbed into a low groan and the injured teen recuperated just enough to withstand the next onslaught of attacks. This time verbal.

"How many times do I have to tell you?!" the blonde girl yelled, "CALL IN ADVANCE!"

Another muffled shout from inside the house: "Pipe down out there! I'm in the middle of a surgery here!"

Winry, a bit quieter this time, shouted back, "Sorry, Granny!"

By this time, Edward slumped against Alphonse's steel form, barely able to keep himself upright even with the extra support. In Winry's eyes, the teen was just being an over-dramatic cry baby. She scowled and crossed her arms.

"So," she asserted, "Let's have it. What's your excuse this time?"

Edward hissed as he levered himself upright, clutching his bruised head. "That's it? No warm welcome after three months? You're just going to stand there and yell at me for not calling ahead of time?"

Immediately she snarled, "I'll give you a warm welcome when you come home without BROKEN AUTOMAIL!"

"I DIDN'T BREAK YOUR STUPID AUTOMAIL THIS TIME!"

Alphonse hummed in disagreement, but kept silent.

"MY AUTOMAIL IS NOT STUPID! IT'S BEAUTIFUL ART, AND IT WOULD STAY THAT WAY IF YOU WEREN'T SUCH A RECKLESS DUMBASS!"

"QUIET DOWN OUT THERE!" Pinako screeched.

"Sorry, Granny!" the three teens chorused.

The two normal-ish teenagers settled for an intense glaring contest for a short while after that. This gave them an opportunity to survey themselves properly without a red fuzz-frame of anger fogging their vision.

Winry wore her usual grease-monkey jumpsuit. A black crop top, loose-fitting green pants, and the jacket tied around her waist. Splattered across that jacket was Unknown Fluid number 1 and Unknown Fluid number 2, hinting that she might've been at work in the shop before the returning brothers showed up. Only her hair rebelled against completing the image. The ends of it sported scorch marks and shorter length, suggesting a small shop-related accident with a blowtorch. A pang of worry flitted through Edward's chest at seeing this.

Edward himself was less of a wreck than usual, Winry silently admitted. He'd managed to keep his red coat relatively clean and undamaged. He wore his hair in his usual charming braid. No scratches or bruises marred what little skin she could see so far, except for his forehead where she'd nailed him with her wrench earlier. Unknown to her, she smiled slightly as she caught sight of a small suitcase sitting on the gravel driveway. That meant they planned on staying a few days. Which also meant Winry would be given plenty of opportunities to harass and tease her favorite wrench-target before they set off again.

She cleared her throat. "Well, it's nice to see you two again."

"Yeah," Al replied, "It's nice to be home again. Right, Brother?"

"Sure, Al. Whatever you say…"

 _ **Whack!**_

"WINRY!"

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU KIDS TO QUIET DOWN OUT THERE!"

"SORRY, GRANNY!"

o.O.0.O.o

Later that day, at the dinner table, I poked my "meat loaf" with a sour frown. Glaring at my meal, I avoided Winry's gaze as the blonde mechanic asked all sorts of questions. The last thing I needed right then was another wrench to the head. Not to mention, my leg port began to bother me as well. It throbbed dully while my arm port laid in wait for its next vicious attack.

Al didn't notice a thing, thankfully. He was too busy talking.

"… a band of serial killers loose in Central. But brother thinks there's something else going on. Something bigger."

Winry eeped in surprise. "Serial killers?! Well, it's a good thing they got him out of there. Ed here would've been dead meat!"

I jerked my head up and shouted, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you're a weak little shorty who can't handle himself out there." Pinako answered absently.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLIN' LITTLE?! I CAN HANDLE MYSELF JUST FINE, YOU OLD MINI-HAG!"

Alphonse interjected, "Hey guys? How about we actually get along this time? Eh? Doesn't that sound like fun?"

We stared at him for a moment before reluctantly sinking back into our seats.

Winry ventured, "Well Ed, I'm a bit relieved. You guys coming home without broken automail is a refreshing change."

If Al had his body, I figured he would've been glaring at me right then. To make up for his lack in proper eyes, the armor settled for staring at me and crossing his arms. I swallowed, suddenly remembering Al's threat earlier that day. I just about built up the nerve tell Winry the truth when a scream ripped through the house.

Pinako slowly got up and sighed. "That would be the patient waking up. I'll go take care of him."

Once she left the room, Winry turned on me. "Alright, Ed. What's it going to take to make you drink your milk? Am I going to have to pin you down and stuff it down your throat?"

I blinked at the unexpected subject change. Sure enough, my glass sat untouched next to my dinner plate. I sent a knowing smirk in Al's direction before answering.

"You can't even pin me down, Winry. You're a girl."

"Oh, you wanna bet?" she growled, tensing her shoulders.

She stood up and clenched her fists. Fortunately for me, Winry's wrench was nowhere in sight. However, that didn't stop her from vaulting forward and tackling me. We grappled for about a minute before I shoved her off and found my footing again. She recovered well enough, picking herself up in seconds. Before Winry could properly launched herself at me again, I dashed out of the room.

No one was prepared for what happened next.

o.O.0.O.o

As soon as I cleared the doorway, I received my worst shock yet. My arm port erupted into stabbing pain, causing me to release a distressed shriek. Clenching my teeth and shoulder, I fell to my knees. All I heard was the blood rushing through my head and the alarming pounding of my heart. A bout of sudden dizziness and nausea overwhelmed me. My vision dimmed and I squeezed my eyes shut.

After what felt like centuries of agony, my senses slowly returned to me.

"…Ed! Ed, please answer me! ED!" a faint voice called.

The pain seemed to ebb at a snail's pace. I could only bear the slow transition in complete stillness until I gained full muscle control again. When I did, my hearing came in a little better. I could feel my heart slowing down in my chest. The skin around my arm port throbbed numbly as my surroundings sharped into a better focus. Not perfect, but better.

"…W-Wi-nry?" I croaked.

My voice sounded pitiful, even to me.

Winry's shoulders dropped in relief. "Ed! What happened? Are you alright?"

She steadily lifted me into an upright sitting position and leaned me against the wall. She held her hand against my left shoulder to keep me from falling. Before I could muster enough energy to speak again, Alphonse knelt next to us and said,

"His arm port was bothering him earlier, too. We don't know what's wrong with it."

The blonde mechanic frowned, her brow creased in worry. "I need to see it. Help me get his jacket off."

In my condition, I was in no shape to protest. The two carefully slid my jacket off, unfastened my other jacket, and slid that off as well. When my port shone exposed in the dim lighting, Winry gasped.

Red. It was all red. Thick, angry red boiled beneath the skin attached to the metal. Red oozed from the creases and dripped down my arm and, unknown to me until then, it had been soaking my jackets in sticky crimson. The pain had left me, replaced by throbbing numbness like earlier. The horrified expression on my mechanic's face said it before she voiced it:

"The port needs to come off. Right now."


	3. Chapter 3

Golden Scales Chapter 3

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

By the time they moved him to the operating room, Edward received another attack. Although, this time it was his leg port. The boy could hardly keep himself awake at this point. The stress of the day had exhausted his body and mind. But each time Edward's head lolled to the side, Winry would slap him awake.

Once Winry explained the situation to Pinako, the old woman nodded firmly and prepared another operating table. During this time, it was all Edward could do not to scream. The pain in his arm port had already been exchanged for throbbing numbness, but the pain in his leg was approaching its climax.

To Edward, time became fluid after that. A century passed before Pinako finished preparing the table. A decade passed as Alphonse set him onto the equally cold steel table. Lights flashed, sounds became distorted, and a sharp slap to his left arm brought him back to numb reality. He knew they were asking him questions, but he just couldn't make any sense of the words.

In real time, three minutes passed during all of this. After those three minutes, things only seemed to get worse. An injection from Pinako jarred him awake. They needed him to be responsive when they disconnected his nerves, after all. Winry couldn't help it. She cringed when Pinako gave her a small nod: a go ahead to start.

Al sat against the door out in the hall, listening to all of this as it progressed. He winced with every hiss, gasp, and yelp. The younger Elric had become painfully sympathetic towards his brother over the years, even in the absence of any real physical feeling. And it was during these operations that Al felt the most pain. Just listening to his brother's distress would make him cover his "ears" in an attempt to block it out. Edward himself would not scream, but that didn't stop Alphonse from screaming for him on the inside.

For everyone, time melted and merged together as the two surgeons began removing the nerves. But one thing did stand clear to all except its owner. For the first time, the Rockbell house could resonate a sound it had never yet possessed the chance to. A horrible, nails-on-a-chalkboard, ear-shattering, inhuman howl ripped from the lips of one very miserable creature.

It was enough to break every window in the house.

o.O.0.O.o

As quickly as it all started, it ended. Once Winry disconnected the last nerve and removed the last port, the pain stopped. The agony washed away. The torturous throbbing ceased. Edward's spine uncurled and he relaxed into the table. It wasn't long before the teen slipped off into a relieved slumber. The two surgeons shared a worried glance before gathering up their tools, but it didn't stop them from slumping over in a couple nearby chairs after throwing said tools in the sink.

It was finally over.

Unknown to them, being in the basement, Alphonse had left his post against the door to investigate the collective shattering he'd heard earlier. Indeed, as he reached the top of the steps, he found millions of shards littering the floor. The old wooden boards sparkled with a hazardous layer of broken glass. After checking the stairs behind him, he plunged forth through the dangerous mess and began restoring the windows with alchemy.

A stampede of thoughts and questions plundered his mind as he worked. Thoughts and questions he kept to himself, even after he returned the glass shards to their rightful panes. The incident itself didn't surprise him too much, after all. He'd read in a book somewhere that humans were capable of producing frequencies high enough to shatter glass. But what he couldn't figure out was how Edward's scream managed to break every window in the house. The book said the frequency would only be effective within a certain range.

One thing was for sure: Alphonse would have words for his brother when the time was right.

o.O.0.O.o

A few days later, Winry stood in the sanitized operating room, tapping her chin and narrowing her eyes as she surveyed the damage. The wounds were already cleaned and bandaged to prevent infection, so she could only assume what might've gone amiss to cause such a violent reaction.

Edward could not cross his arms, fore he lacked a second arm, but it didn't stop a deep scowl from etching itself into his face. He waited for his mechanic's diagnosis, but she had none to give. The only possible answer that she could come up with at this point was—

"Well?" Edward asked impatiently.

Winry blinked. "Well, what?"

"What's wrong with my stumps?!"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, Ed!" she snapped.

Levering himself with his only good arm, he sat upright on the table. "You mean you don't know?!"

Taken aback by the comment, she snarled, "Of course I don't know! Am I supposed to just magically come up with the right answer?"

He huffed and looked away. "Of course not, Winry! That's impossible."

"So's your attitude…" she muttered.

"What was that?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing, nothing, not a thing…"

Winry gave his arm stump one last poke before sighing. "The only thing that I can think to say here… and I'm just guessing… is your stumps are rejecting your automail."

He frowned worriedly. "What do you mean by 'rejecting'?"

"I mean your flesh won't tolerate constant contact with metal. It's the only way I can describe it. I've never seen anything like it before."

Silence.

A few moments of this passed until finally he said,

"We can fix this, right? Tell me I can still wear automail."

She didn't want to say it. She really didn't. But after all they'd been through together, he deserved the truth.

"I…I don't know, Ed." Winry answered sadly.

An unmistakable gleam of heartbreak in his eyes made her heart twist. As if the world had been encased in a giant bottle of syrup, time slowed to a crawl. Edward stared at the wall for what felt like ten minutes before lowering his gaze to the floor. Despite the mood of the room, Winry mustered a small smile and placed her hand comfortingly on his left shoulder.

"Hey," she said, "It'll be okay. Just go a week without automail, and I'll check your stumps again."

His frown softened as he relaxed a little. Then he groaned.

"This means I have to use normal prosthetics now, doesn't it?"

"Yup! ~" Winry sung.

Releasing another groan, Edward let himself fall back into the table. His mechanic spun on her heel and exited the room to fetch said prosthetics. On her way out, she signaled to Al that it was okay to see Ed now, and the armor entered without a word. The younger Elric crossed the room and stopped at his brother's side.

Al paused before speaking. "So… I guess we came to Resembool at the perfect time, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess."

The two slipped into a comfortable silence. However, only a few moments passed before Edward's eyes shot open.

It was then that he realized it. Al was right: they _did_ come to Resembool at the perfect time. Almost too perfect. What were the chances of that happening? If the State hadn't sent Edward away at the time that they did, he would've received the attacks without his mechanic right there to help him. At first glance, it made the State look somewhat caring and considerate. But then, how did they know that these attacks were even going to happen? It made Edward wonder. Did the State… plan this?

Before he could delve any deeper, his thoughts were interrupted.

"Brother?" Al asked, "Umm… when you, uh, screamed earlier—ˮ

"I don't scream, Al. What are you talking about?" Ed cut in, his brow furrowed.

Al paused. Then he said, "Well, I don't know _what_ you did, but it shattered every window in the house."

Edward's eyes widened. "What?"

He continued, "During the operation, I heard a noise upstairs. When I checked it out, all of the windows were broken."

About eight seconds passed before Edward replied, "I don't believe you."

"But Brother! It's the truth! I swear!"

"I'll believe it when I see it." he stated stubbornly.

The armor huffed and crossed his arms, something the elder sibling wished he could've done right then. Again, they slipped into a contented silence. Minutes ticked by until Edward felt a familiar sensation in his abdomen. He hadn't noticed it until right then, but it was obvious he'd been holding it for a while.

"Um… Al?" the blond asked tentatively.

The armor looked at him. "Yes, Brother?"

"I have to go."

Al tilted his helmet. "Go? Go where?"

"No— I have to _go_."

Five seconds ticked by until he finally got it. " _Oh_ …"

A heavy blush dusted his cheeks as he continued. "And… um, I can't exactly walk…"

He hated this. He absolutely loathed asking for help. Especially from his baby brother. But he loathed the idea of peeing himself even more.

Alphonse chuckled. "I'll carry you, then."

o.O.0.O.o

"Alright, Ed." she said, "Take this nice and easy."

Guided by Winry's gentle hand, I slowly inched to the edge of the table. Hot embarrassment plastered my cheeks in red as my hand nearly slipped out from under me. I wanted to yell at Winry to stop treating me like a little kid, but my voice was already hoarse from "shouting in my sleep."

Finally, after I slid into position, Winry worked to connect the prosthetic to my leg stump. A few not-so-gentle tugs later, she moved to my arm. She wiped her brow before standing up.

"All done. We'll check on your stumps in a few days. Just don't do anything too reckless until then."

"Yeah whatever."

 _ **Whack!**_

"HEY!" I shouted, rubbing my bruised head.

"Don't you 'yeah whatever' me, mister! You owe me your mobility!"

She spun around and marched out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

I blinked at the door for a few seconds before shaking my head. Carefully, I eased myself off the table, holding onto it for support until I gained my footing. Dull stabs of pain shot through my achy stumps, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. After steadying myself, I took my first step in five days.

And I fell flat on my face.

o.O.0.O.o

With each step I took, a new bolt of pain zipped through my stumps. Not as excruciating as my "attacks" but still worth a hiss here and there. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice my discomfort. So far, I'd been able to go about my normal business— which consisted of researching as I waited for Mustang to call me back to Central. However, I had a feeling that wouldn't happen for a while.

I leafed through Pinako's bookshelf curiously. Some of the books were actually novels; books that I considered absolutely useless. If one went through the trouble of writing and publishing a book, wouldn't it make sense to write something practical, like a cookbook? I scoffed at these texts and shoved them back into the shelf. The next book I came across was caked in dust. I practically had to scrub the cover to read the title.

 _Johnathan K. Harrison's Account: City of Atlantis_

I smirked at the name. Another foolish diver thought a couple of oddly-shaped rocks looked like the ruins of the mythical city. As far as I was concerned, it was just as useless as a novel. I slid the worn leather text back into the shelf, and pulled out the next one.

This time, my eyebrows shot up at the title.

 _A Philosopher's Guide: Stones, Crystals, and Geoids_


	4. Chapter 4

Golden Scales Chapter 4

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

"Ed!"

I jumped and nearly dropped the book. I turned around to find Pinako scowling at me with her arms pinned behind her back. I grinned innocently.

"Ed, what do you think you're doing to my bookshelf?"

Nervously, I lowered the book. "Um… reading it?"

"Well, when you're done _reading_ I suggest you put it all back exactly where you found it! I organized it that way for a reason!"

She just about turned to leave when I said,

"Wait!"

She paused in the doorway.

"Granny, was this book always here?"

Pinako turned around and spotted the book I held up. She narrowed her eyes as if trying to remember.

"No," she replied, "A patient left it here by accident a few months ago."

The door clicked shut behind her and I blinked. Then I looked down at the book again, a confused frown pulling at my lips. I remained like that for a few moments before finally shrugging.

I slunk down into my usual sitting position against the wall, cradling the text between my palms and my knees. As I continued to scan the passages, my frown softened. Soon enough, the frown left my face entirely, replaced by concentration and interest.

"Winry!" I heard a faint voice yell, "Let Den back in! I'm sure he's done barking at nothing by now!"

 _ **Slam!**_

 _Tik tik tik tik tik…_

Before I knew what was coming to me, a black and white mass of fur bolted through the other door and bounded towards me excitedly. I scrambled to get up and run, but I was too late. Den tackled me back to the ground, bathing me in slobber and grass.

"Den get off me, you slobbery mutt!" I shouted, my voice strained with effort as I tried to push the animal away.

To no avail. Den the dog continued to lather my face in foamy slime. His front paws where firmly planted on my chest, making it all the more difficult for me to escape.

When the dog finally had enough of licking my face, I was able to shove the animal off. I glared at Den, but the glare loosened as soon as I noticed what the dog was doing. Den stood there, licking his chops as if I had just slipped some slivers of chicken to him under the table. Or that time when Al gave him peanut butter. That alone wouldn't bother me, if not for what the dog did next.

Once Den was finished cleaning his mouth, he began sniffing down every square inch of me. It was as if I'd suddenly become the most interesting thing on the planet. Den's tail wagged excitedly as he scanned me with his nostrils. That still didn't bother me, until a few seconds later.

Den, tail still whipping about, halted his efforts in exchange for standing there and staring right at me. Like, right through my eyes and into my soul, kind of stare. Then the strangest part of all: Den looked away, snorted, whined, and then bolted out of the room.

I sat there for a good five seconds with my eyebrows arched in confusion. Then I blinked and shook my head. I muttered to myself as I picked my book up again to resume reading.

"Stupid dog…"

The incident with Den long forgotten, I once again became consumed in the field journal. my eyes scanned the passages idly before landing on the subtitle "Earth Catalysts." Eyes narrowed, I held the book closer, as if the new view would yield more useful details. The first page consisted of rare ore and crystals found in the underground pockets beneath volcanoes. I sneered and flipped the page.

The second page was when things got interesting.

"'…seaborne crystals,'" I read aloud, "'A legendary jewel residing at the bottom of the sea, known as the Moon Stone, or the Knowing Jewel, was reported by several sailors in the wake of a spectacular and historical shipwreck known as Neptune's Decent. The sailors, supposedly half-mad, babbled strange delusions with firm focus on the jewel. Their collective accounts agree that they were saved by sirens, and then taken to a holy cave, known as the Sage Shrine, where they encountered a floating crystal. Historians had denied the jewel's existence for roughly two centuries until a similar case was recorded. The young woman's account matched those of the sailors'. No other cases have been recorded since.'"

After I finished reading, I rolled my eyes at the passage. This "Moon Stone" sounded like something that walked off the pages of a fairy-tale book. Yet, it sounded more legitimate than the stone I was actually seeking. At least the Moon Stone was on the records of crazy people who swallowed too much seawater. So far, I found close to nothing on the Philosopher's Stone.

I sighed and shut the book.

o.O.0.O.o

The wind seemed to pull at me as I strolled along the rolling hills. It called me, whispering in my ear, as if trying to tell me something. Countless leaves fluttered in the strong breeze, causing a collective rustling noise as it ripped through the towering trees. A beautiful day, I noted. Something my soul yearned for since I last left Resembool. No other place on earth offered such surreal bliss.

I breathed in sharply, and released my breath slowly, savoring its scent. I'd walked far enough away from the house to be hidden from prying eyes. I stood in a small clearing at the mouth of a large valley, where the trees parted to reveal a breath-taking watercolor view of the vast farmland.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long until the perfect scene shattered.

I clutched my right shoulder as sudden pain jolted through my nerves. At first, I ignored it and straightened my spine again. I just about filled my lungs with a deep sigh when it returned. I squeezed my eyes shut to bear the pain in silence. The pain ebbed and, wasting no time, I undid the straps of the arm. I ripped it off just before the next attack. This time, it was enough to draw a pained grunt from me.

Quickly, I scanned my surroundings and found a tree stump a little to my left. I seated myself and rubbed my arm stump. My mind was blank as I endured the pain, not even thinking of calling for help or trying to get back to the house. If I had thought to do so, I wouldn't have gotten far: my next attack zipped through my leg stump.

Worried now, I undid the straps with my one shaky hand. I bore another stinging attack before releasing the prosthetic and examining the flesh beneath. I hissed through an attack to my arm while I took in the details of my leg stump. Red, swollen, but not bleeding. My body was suddenly racked with shivers, and I squeezed my eyes shut again.

I found myself praying for relief. I sat there helplessly, thoughtlessly waiting for an answer.

o.O.0.O.o

Winry sighed as she wiped her hands on a stray dishrag. After scanning her work critically, she nodded to herself, deciding that the dishes were clean enough to be put away. Alphonse then stepped in and took over for her, relieving her of duty. It was something the armor happily complied with. He'd told her earlier that he didn't mind helping out, and that it gave him a sense of purpose while he stayed. As expected, the blonde mechanic gladly let him take on her chores.

She tiredly crossed the distance of the kitchen and poked her head in the living room. She frowned as she noticed Edward's absence. Just a few hours prior, he'd been sitting against the wall leafing through Granny's bookshelf. Winry's brow furrowed in worry. Where could he have managed to take off to without reliable prosthetics?

Winry glanced behind her at the pot boiling atop the stove. Dinner would be ready soon. Closing her eyes and sighing again, she chucked the dishrag against the far wall and marched down the hallway. The back room? Nope. Bathroom? No. The brothers' shared bedroom upstairs? No dice. The backyard being tackled by Den? Nope, just Den rolling around in his own feces. Yuck.

Where was he?

Winry scowled. She took to calling him for a few minutes, but that too proved fruitless. Finally, she gave up. She slipped on her shoes and marched towards the woods.

Stepping around thick brush and fallen trees, she worked her way through the dead masses of wood until she reached the trail. Winry's scowl deepened as she strolled through the arched trees. By chance, she happened to glance to her left as she passed an old hunter's shack. Through the trees, she spotted a fleck of gold. Her scowl setting, she picked her way over to a clearing, where she gasped at the horrific sight she was met with.

It was Edward, hunched over in pain, his prosthetics laying uselessly beneath him.

o.O.0.O.o

"… Ed…"

I heard a faint voice calling me.

"…Ed! Wake up!"

I heard it again.

"ED!"

My eyes snapped open, only to shut tight again when the sunlight stung them. Slowly, I opened them again. The blur in front of me sharpened into Winry's concerned face.

Her shoulders dropped in relief. I could've sworn I felt some déjà vu here, but I kept that thought to myself as I croaked,

"W-Wi-nry?"

"Thank goodness you're awake. I thought I lost you there." she said.

I tried to laugh, but it turned into cough. "It'll take more than that to bring me down."

She glanced up. "We need to get you back to the house."

o.O.0.O.o

"Well," she said, "I have some good news."

Edward glanced up at her from his place on the operating table. "Oh?"

Winry nodded absently. "I actually know what went wrong this time. We didn't wait long enough for the scar tissue to close over your wounds. It didn't heal enough to handle the pressure of even normal prosthetics."

The blond alchemist blinked. "Oh. T-That's a relief to hear, I guess…"

She glared at him and placed her hands on her hips. "This was your fault, Ed! If you weren't such an impatient, reckless dumbass these attacks wouldn't have happened! I wouldn't be surprised if the first attacks were caused by lack of maintenance, knowing you!"

"Hey!" he protested, "I wipe my automail off after I get out of the shower!"

"That's not enough and you know it!"

Sensing that this argument was going nowhere, Winry smacked him before he could say anything else.

Ignoring Edward's death glare, she continued, "Anyway, since you reopened your wounds, we'll have to wait for them to heal again. And until then, you shouldn't have anything connected to your stumps."

Edward's eyes widened. "But, that means—"

"Yes," she finished for him, "The great Fullmetal Alchemist will have to ask for help to get around the house!"

She could almost detect panic in his golden gaze. He tried to refuse.

"No… There's a crutch here, I'll just use the crutch!"

A rueful smirk slithered across her lips. "Actually, another patient left with the last one a few months ago. We're waiting for him to mail it back to us, but he lives all the way in Creta. It could take a while to get here after his recovery."

At this point, Edward looked like he wanted to cry. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Winry said, "Quit being a baby, Edward! You need to learn how to accept people's help! It'll only be for a little while. This is, after all, your fault. Think of it as your punishment!"

After spinning on her heel, she marched out the door and slammed it shut behind her, rattling the wall as she did so.

Edward stared at the door for a few seconds. Then he felt it again: the slight abdominal discomfort that came with one of his most natural functions. Again, it felt as if he'd been holding it for hours, which might've been the case for all he knew. A worried frown crept across the teen's face as he looked up at the door again.

"Winry!" he shouted, "Come back and open the door, at least! WINRY!"


	5. Chapter 5

Golden Scales Chapter 5

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I levered myself upright in the dark room. The shades were drawn, the air was damp, and a chilled breeze fluttered unpleasantly up my sleeve. I offered a small sigh to the night as I scooted backwards. My back pinned against the wall, I took my single hand and used it to wipe my face. Dirt, grime, and skin oil coated my appendage after I drew it away. My lip curled in slight disgust.

After so long without bathing, one accumulated an impressive amount of filth.

 _Just add that to the list of many things I lost the ability to do_ , I thought bitterly.

Pinching out another shuddering sigh, I pressed the back of my head against the wall along with my back. A subtle scowl dusted my pale features. I hated the feeling, even something as inanimate as a wall. Although I was grateful to have not become a useless vegetable, I remained uncomfortable with any form of support. I liked to think that I could stand on my own and face my problems alone. I liked to think I was strong enough to conquer the world without any help. But, as Truth would have it, I needed support now more than ever.

Just like I needed support after the mistake that started this all. Just like I needed support when my opponents smashed my automail to pieces. Just like I needed support when Al, my sweet and overly-optimistic brother, fell apart right in front of me.

And everything traced back to _my_ wrong doing. _I_ thought of the naive idea to bring our mother back. _I_ charged into scenes without any back-up or preparation. _I_ didn't watch closely enough to realize that my brother was approaching an emotional meltdown.

I folded my only leg and rested my head on my knee, wrapping my only arm around for the small amount of support it offered. I knew exactly what Alphonse would say. I knew exactly how my brother felt, and I could not, for the life of me, figure out why he didn't just blame me for everything. That would've been easier. That would've been the logical thing to do, and I wouldn't have blamed him for it. But Alphonse wanted to bear half of the world on his shoulders.

And I loved him dearly for it.

Across the room, I could hear a slight creak. Looking up, I noticed the door slightly ajar, with a single, glowing red dot piercing through the darkness behind it. A moment later, the door slowly opened and a familiar hulking suit of armor stepped through. The armor clanked as it crossed the distance, and Alphonse came to a stop once he reached the side of the bed.

"How are you feeling, Brother?" he asked.

I blinked. "Fine, Al. I was just… thinking."

"About…?"

Quickly, I searched for a half lie. "About taking a bath."

The statement seemed to catch Al off guard. "A bath?"

I nodded and ran my hand through my matted locks, holding up my grease-coated fingers afterwards.

Al giggled. "Ew!"

I laughed and wiped it off on the bed sheets.

"So," I ventured, "How about it, Al?"

The armor tilted its helmet. "How about what, Brother?"

"You mind drawing me bath?"

"Oh," he said, "O-Of course! But, um… right now? In the middle of the night?"

I laughed and leaned back against the wall. "Sure. Why not?"

"Alrighty then. Don't blame me when Winry yells at you…" Al stated as he turned around to exit the room.

I called back, "Been there, done that! It's nothing special!"

Al laughed. "If you say so, Brother."

I smiled softly as I watched the door click shut behind him.

o.O.0.O.o

A few seconds passed before the door flew open again, and, this time, an excited Winry came barreling into the room. She only stopped to huff and puff, catching her breath, before righting herself again. Apparently, she spanned the whole house, stairs and all, to bring me what looked like a book.

She grinned as she held it up and pointed to a passage. "Ed look! I found something that might tell us what's wrong with your stumps!"

Before I could even squint at the passage, she lowered the book and began to pace the room, muttering to herself. "It may not _directly_ tell us what's wrong, but I'm sure we can figure it out eventually… I mean, it's not like you're going to just up and disappear, too… Maybe if I weld bars on the windows…"

My eyes widened. "Whoa whoa whoa! Winry, calm down! What do you mean 'weld bars on the windows'? What's the passage say?"

The mechanic paused, staring at me. "Oh! Right, right! Sorry! Here, read the fifth paragraph down."

Finally, she placed the book on the bed for me to scan, biting her nails all the while. I arched an eyebrow at this, but directed my gaze down to find the passage.

 _After experiencing sudden symptoms of swelling, irritation, redness, and bleeding in the surrounding flesh beneath her arm port, a young woman, Clairabelle Louise, visited her automail mechanic in Grimlock Village, Aerugo. Here, according to State records in the Grimlock Public Library, Ms. Louise's mechanic, Rodger Hull, disconnected the automail arm and surgically removed the port. No official diagnosis was reported, however, in his personal journal, Mr. Hull reported that nothing seemed to be wrong with the automail itself. In a later log, he reflects on how the patient's stump inexplicably grew sensitive to pressure, unable to tolerate any form of prosthetics. In another log, Mr. Hull sadly reports that his patient had gone missing before he could further investigate, however, he had noticed curious signs of regeneration in the few days he was able to observe the patient's stump. No other cases have been reported since._

"Oh." I said simply.

"I know, right?!" Winry squeaked.

The blonde mechanic let out a large sigh and took the book. "We'll have to figure this out a little later, I still need to show Gra—"

She paused, as if listening.

"What's that sound?" she asked, frowning.

I copied her frown. "What sound?"

Ignoring me, she continued, "Is that…? That's running water."

My shoulder dropped in recognition. "Oh. That's Al. He's drawing me a bath."

"In the middle of the night?" she asked skeptically.

I pointed at her. "Hey! You're up and reading books in the middle of the night, I wouldn't talk!"

Her face turned red with anger. "I WAS RESEARCHING FOR _YOU_ , DUMBASS! And you're sure one to talk! Every time you stay here I catch you down in the study! If anyone's a creeper here it's you, you pasty vampire!"

I growled. "I'm NOT a vampire! And I'll have you know I get pretty damn tan when I'm not cooped up in a house all day!"

"Well maybe you should've thought of that before you—"

"Ahem," a voice from the door interrupted.

We turned to see Al in the doorway. "It's ready, Brother."

o.O.0.O.o

For the first time in days, every single muscle in my body could relax. Something about the water in the tub that night seemed to rejuvenate my flesh. I could almost feel every cell sing with delight, as if they were being bathed in liquid bliss. I breathed easy, and a relieved sigh floated out of my mouth. My eyes closed, I could dream of this moment lasting forever.

The scorching water wicked away every trace of filth from my form, leaving behind glowing, polished skin. When I dunked my scalp beneath the waterline, all of the grease and grime was released and spread out into my bathwater. My hair seemed to un-matt itself, weaving apart and flowing side-by-side in its natural order. This I could not see, but feel.

After what felt like an hour or so, I reluctantly rose my whole head above the waterline and leaned against the side of the tub. I rubbed my eyes and sighed contently. I ran my hand along my remaining leg, inspecting the clean and thriving flesh. In the absence of dirt or skin oil to lubricate the motion, my hand skidded roughly across the flesh, the way it usually does after a long shower.

When I moved to inspect my neck and shoulder was when something weird happened. I was running my hand down my neck when my fingers slipped into an unfamiliar-ish crevice.

Whenever I looked in the mirror, or felt the side of my neck, I'd find three small, nearly-invisible ridges on each side. Alphonse had them when we were young as well, and our mother. Yet, she felt no need to mention them. Young me had noticed that the other kids in school didn't have them, but I shrugged it off. Over the years, as I met more and more people, I found about two other people who had them, but when I asked about them they just smiled and shook their heads. Eventually, I gave up and forgot about them.

Until now.

I sat up as much as I could and frowned. Paying close attention to the sensory information my neck was giving off, I noted that wiggling my fingers around was accompanied by a very unpleasant squelching noise. It also felt like my fingers were blocking something important, and a strong instinct told me I should take them out immediately.

Curiously, I obeyed my body's command. I carefully yanked my fingers out, causing an even grosser sound as the suction released. One side of my lip raised in disgust as I examined my slime-coated digits. I glanced at the locked door.

Silently, I made an agreement to keep this to myself. Not even Alphonse would know about this until I decided otherwise. It was just one more thing I wanted to figure out, and I would much rather figure this one out by myself.

The last thing I needed right then was even more raised eyebrows.

o.O.0.O.o

Winry raised her eyebrow at me. "Ed, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Winry." I grumbled, poking at my casserole absently.

That was a lie. I most certainly wasn't fine. Ever since the other night, those ridges on the sides of my neck remained open. I'd be telling another lie if I said my house-mates weren't noticing. Since that night in the tub, I had decidedly stopped asking Winry to braid, and even pony-tail, my hair. It was the only way to hide the now oh-so-obvious holes in my neck.

The worst part about it? I could feel them, move them, and operate them. When I became stressed or angry, I'd unconsciously flair them open. When I felt happy or relaxed, I'd unconsciously close them, causing myself to choke.

Winry scowled and crossed her arms. "You don't look fine."

"You have been acting really weird, Brother." Alphonse added.

I looked up from my meal. "Look guys, nothing's wrong, okay? I'm just a little stressed out. That's all."

"Stressed out?" Winry asked. "Stressed out about what?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing! Well, obviously it's something, Ed! If it's bothering you this much, it's definitely something!"

Al nodded. "You can tell us, Ed. It's not like we'll laugh at you."

I scowled. "I said it's nothing, now can we just drop it?"

As if it appeared out of thin air, Winry's wrench was suddenly in her hand. She tapped it into her other hand threateningly as she said,

"Hmm… I wonder how many hits to the head it'll take to get him to talk. What do you think Al?"

The armor tilted his head thoughtfully. "Twenty."

My jaw dropped. "AL!"

The blonde mechanic rose out of her seat.

I put my hand up in surrender and shouted, "Alright, alright!"

Winry seated herself again with a sly smirk dusting her lips.

I sighed before continuing, "I'm just sick of asking you guys to do everything for me. I don't like not being able to do anything for myself. There, I said it. Happy?"

"That's not it," Al stated, "Something else is bothering you, Ed."

"And you're going to tell us," Winry added, "Right now."


	6. Chapter 6

Golden Scales Chapter 6

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I sat on the edge of the steel operating table again. Being poked and prodded at by not Winry, but Pinako. A deep scowl decorated my face. If I could've, I would've folded my arms over my chest as well. I sported a rather sloppy bun, which the mini hag had fashioned herself to keep my hair up and out of the way while she examined my neck.

At dinner, the interrogation ended with an exhausting brawl and I didn't have enough energy to put up a proper fight once Pinako got there. She'd spotted the "holes" on my neck and ordered Al to bring me to the operating room.

Which brought us to the present.

I could feel the old lady's gentle fingers carefully prying one of them open. It felt horribly odd and unsettling. I snuck a small glance at them to see that Winry held a flashlight, gawking shamelessly at my newest feature. She looked rather amazed, actually. Pinako turned my head the other way again with her other hand.

"How… How is he breathing?" Winry finally asked.

My scowl deepened. "I'm right here, you know. How about you ask _me_?"

I received a sharp slap to the forearm. "You be quiet!"

Pinako sighed. "Well, this isn't much of a surprise to me."

"Huh?" all three of us chorused.

I could feel Pinako removing her fingers from my neck. "This is actually quite normal for him. Only a small fraction of people have these, but they are virtually harmless."

I turned my head back to see Winry tilting hers.

"But, what are they, Granny?" she asked, voicing my question.

Pinako slipped her gloves off and threw them away. "I'm not sure, really. Trisha had them, but she never bothered to mention them. When I asked, she said what I just told you."

I blinked. "Really? That's it? Nothing else?"

"Nothing else." Pinako repeated.

"Huh," Al said, "That's weird. How come I didn't have them?"

I lowered my gaze. "Um, Al? You did have them."

Suddenly everyone's eyes fell on me.

Al drew back in surprise. "I did?"

Pinako folded her hands together. "Well, I suppose I'll get dinner started."

With that, the old lady left us to sort everything out for ourselves.

o.O.0.O.o

" _Please_ Ed?" Winry begged, "You let Granny do it!"

An angry frown ruled his face. "That's because I trust her not to choke me!"

"Choke you? Why would I choke you?"

"Not like that!" he snapped. "And it's none of your business. It's my neck, and I get to decide who touches it."

The blonde mechanic crossed her arms. "It is too my business! You're my automail patient, and I have a right to know these things!"

"But that doesn't give you the right to stick your fingers inside my neck! Your only concern should be my arm and leg!"

While all of this was going on, Alphonse hung back in the corner watching the two. He'd been placed on "argument duty" meaning he'd have to step in if things got out of hand. Pinako's orders. The armor observed the bickering couple with amusement as Winry posed her persuasive argument, knowing full well next to nothing would change his brother's mind.

Edward's golden eyes widened as his mechanic leaned in a bit too close for comfort. "W-Winry? W-What are you doing?"

She grinned innocently. "Being persuasive."

The blonde mechanic was now a mere five inches away from Edward's face, causing said face to turn beat red from nervous embarrassment. Al held back a small laugh as he watched from his safe corner.

"Yeah? Well… it's not going to work!"

She leaned in even closer. "Are you _suuure_?"

Now Winry could see beads of sweat forming at his hairline. Her victim swallowed uneasily, but stood his ground.

"Y-Yes," he stuttered, "I'm sure."

Three minutes of this passed until finally Edward fell backwards from leaning back too far. Thankfully, he was sitting on his bed, so it wasn't much of a fall. The rest of the teens in the room openly laughed, though. As Truth would have it, Winry continued her "persuasive methods" until Edward gave up and let her examine his "ridges."

The blond alchemist choked four times that evening.

o.O.0.O.o

Two days passed in comfortable peace. As much peace as the Rockbell residents would allow. Only two wrenches were thrown, six low-scale arguments occurred, and zero people were thrown across the room. Although, there were many close calls on the last one.

During these two days, Alphonse made a habit of taking Den for walks. Edward took to tearing apart the Rockbell book inventory whilst he researched his newly opened "ridges." Consequently, Pinako took to yelling at him. Winry accidentally spilled grape juice in a glass of orange juice and declared she'd invented liquid candy.

On this second day, around five in the afternoon, Winry dragged Edward away from his research and into the operating room for his next check-up. A fresh glass of Winry's "liquid candy" sat on a nearby workbench as she worked to unwrap Edward's bandaged stumps. Edward hissed quietly as she yanked on a length of gauze, unintentionally making it unbearably tight for him.

Something he'd noticed since Winry wrapped those bandages was that they'd become increasingly tighter over time. When he'd unwrapped his stumps to bathe, he observed no swelling or irritation. Yet, when he wrapped them again, intentionally loosening them afterwards, they grew tight, seemingly on their own.

Finally, one last yank and the bandages were off. Thriving, healthy flesh was revealed underneath. Edward blinked at the sight, but Winry frowned.

"Ed," she said, "I'm not the only one seeing this, right?"

The blond looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Um… seeing what, Winry?"

Her brow creased even more. "Your stumps… It's like the book said, they're… regenerating."

o.O.0.O.o

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. An electric shock seemed to zip through my nerves, setting all of my blood vessels alight like live wires. In no way was I prepared for the sight I met when I looked down at my own leg stump. And when I did look, I sucked in a gasp so sharp I thought my diaphragm might burst.

Almost two inches of new and polished flesh replaced marred scar tissue. When I ran my hand tentatively along the surface, living nerves jolted awake and sent out sensory information. I received yet more sensory information from another place I previously knew to be dead: my shoulder. Wonder robbing her face of her usual scowl, my mechanic gently prodded the flesh, exploring her new canvas with her fingers.

Even though the length was hardly noticeable, it was still amazing to me that something like this was even possible of occurring on its own. I didn't remember eating a special diet, or drinking an unknown fluid besides Winry's Liquid Candy. Nor could I remember learning any special medical alchemy technique. As far as I knew, this had happened naturally.

If left on my own to figure this out, I would've freaked out and given myself a panic attack three times over. Saving me from such a fate now was Winry and the passage she showed me just a few days prior. Knowing that this happened to someone before relieved me beyond measure, but it also scared me. According to the passage, the girl went missing right after she began to regenerate. Maybe Winry's half-crazy mutterings were on par.

 _Maybe welding bars on the windows is a good idea_ , I thought.

Keeping this thought to myself, I looked up at my equally confused mechanic and asked, "Well, what now?"

Winry folded her hands together and sighed. "We wait."

"Wait… for how long?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. However long it takes, I suppose. Until your stumps are done… regenerating."

I frowned at the uncertainty of my fate. "And what do I do in the meantime? Do we still wrap my stumps, or leave them be?"

At this point, questions spilled out of my mouth unchecked. My mind rested elsewhere while my body slipped into a trance of some sort. Somewhere deep in my thoughts, my brain scanned every potentially useful scrap of information, trying to figure out just how regeneration in a human was possible. I knew certain breeds of lizards could grow back their tail. Starfish could grow back entire limbs. But nothing like that has ever been observed in humans, except for that Claira girl from the passage.

"We'll leave them be for now."

My train of thought crashed and burned. I looked up and blinked at the sudden statement, not yet comprehending its meaning.

"If I can find his number," Winry continued, "I might even be able to call an old family friend. He specializes in recovery treatment. There's no guarantee, but he might've seen something like this before."

" _Whoa whoa whoa_!" I said, panicking, "You're calling _who_ now?"

The blonde mechanic rolled her eyes. "Relax, Ed. He's my dad's old colleague. We've trusted him with our patients for years."

"But that doesn't mean _I_ trust him, Winry! This guy doesn't know me like you do! What if he…"

"Ed! You have nothing to worry about! Mr. Harrison has seen plenty of stranger things than kids with two missing limbs!"

I pulled my hair up and pointed to my ridges. "Then what's he going to say about _these_ , huh? Has he ever seen holes in someone's neck? He's going to kidnap me and ship me off to a lab!"

She crossed her arms and scowled. "Now you're being unreasonable! He won't ship you off to a lab, Ed! And if he asks, we'll just tell him what your mom said."

"No, Winry." I growled. "I'm putting my foot down this time. I don't want anyone else's nose in my business! I didn't even want your nose in my business!"

"I don't care what you say, Ed. I'm calling Mr. Harrison whether you want me to or not! I won't stand by and watch you get an infection while I have no idea how to treat it!"

"I'm not going to get a—"

Suddenly, I gasped. Overwhelmed by a coughing fit, I hunched over and forked up a bit of clear fluid. This time, I had to forcefully open my ridges to stop myself from choking on my own fluids. The coughing fit ended and I sat there, stiff as a board, while I panted.

"Mhmm." Winry hummed. "I'll go find his number."


	7. Chapter 7

Golden Scales Chapter 7

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I cracked an eye open blearily. No sunlight stung my vision, which I found mildly unusual. I rubbed my eyes with my hand and sat up against the wall. From this angle, I surveyed the room.

Clean, dustless, and dark. The outfit I'd discarded on the floor last night now lay folded in a small laundry basket that someone had shoved into the corner. Mt. Notebooks sat on the dresser, stacked neatly and color-coded. The newly polished desk fan hummed softer and smoother as it made its white noise. Dim light bathed the room in blue, radiating from the newly changed light bulb behind the bedside lamp's cobalt shade. And, seemingly promoting a longer sleep duration, the shades were drawn shut.

Frowning, I glanced over at the clock. 11:45AM. My frown deepened. Winry never let me sleep in this late. And she certainly didn't bother cleaning my room. Something was definitely out of place here.

It had only been three days since Winry found the doctor's number and called. Mr. Harrison said that he'd be in Resembool in roughly five days. We still had two more to wait. Did Pinako order a house-wide spring cleaning early, or what?

It hardly mattered, I knew. Whatever my house-mates were up to, they obviously saw it fit to not involve me. Why else would they let me sleep in so late?

Shrugging, I moved to stand with heavy support of the wall. Slowly, I made my way across the room, out the door, down the hallway, and into the bathroom.

o.O.0.O.o

At breakfast, Pinako served eggs, bacon, and toast. She smirked at the blond teen's expression as she set the plate down in front of him. Winry possessed an identical smirk as she announced a full stomach and shoved some of her own bacon on Edward's plate. She'd had her share of breakfast before he even left his room. Alphonse, unable to take part in the wonderful ritual known as eating, was mysteriously missing from the study.

Clearly, from the clueless expression Edward wore, he still had no idea what they were up to. Or rather, the meaning of that day. As the suspicious, yet oblivious teen dug into his morning meal, Winry drummed her fingers on the table leg beneath her, growing slightly irritated with how slowly this day was unfolding.

Pinako noticed the slant of her granddaughter's eyebrows and cleared her throat. "Winry? Why don't you take this list and go down to the market. I'm sure Raphael's is open by now."

She took the list and scanned it. "Sure, Granny."

The blonde mechanic quickly got up, tossed her dishes in the sink, and bolted out of the room.

The remaining blond raised an eyebrow as Pinako moved to get up as well.

"Ed," she said, "I want you to stay in the house today. Don't let anyone in unless it's one of us."

Edward sighed. "Sure, I guess, but where—"

She'd already left the room, leaving him completely alone.

o.O.0.O.o

I closed the book tiredly, shoved it back on the shelf, and pulled out another. As much as a challenge it was to get there all by myself, none of my findings were worth the effort. My eyes grew achy after scanning torturously small font for forty-five minutes straight. My one arm primed to drop any second from the overuse. And even though my stumps had grown a fair amount over the past few days, the length wasn't nearly enough to make a difference.

That still freaked me out a little. But knowing I had open holes in the sides of my neck watered my panic down significantly.

I sighed as I opened the next book, scanning the table of contents absently. A few seconds of this passed before I noticed slight pressure on my left shoulder. Steadily, I turned my head, only to sigh in relief when I found Den's head poking over my shoulder excitedly. His tail wagged behind him and his tongue hung out. The dog peered over at the book as if to say, "Whatchya readin' there?"

I smiled. I set the book down and rubbed my hand across the top of Den's muzzle. Not even bothering to continue my research, I let myself fall to the floor. There I decided that taking a break sounded great. Den lowered himself as well, and rested beside me. Both of us sighed together before floating off to our separate dreamscapes.

o.O.0.O.o

"I don't think he's interested in water alchemy, Winry." Al said.

Winry waved him off. "I want to get him something he doesn't already have. The last time I got him an earth alchemy book it sat in his room collecting dust."

"Actually," Al argued, "He forgot it when we headed back to Central. He complained about it for half the train ride."

Winry blinked. "He did?"

"Here you are, miss." Raphael said, handing her the book.

For a second, she hesitated. But then her expression cleared and she took the book with a smile. Sticking her tongue out at the armor, she slipped her newest purchase into her bag. Since he couldn't roll his eyes, Al settled for tilting his helmet and sighing.

"Still," Al continued, "I think he'd appreciate something other than an alchemy book."

"Like what?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Like… I don't know… something that you can't buy, perhaps."

Winry narrowed her eyes. She got the meaning of that a few seconds later.

"Oh, no you didn't!" she hollered. "You did _not_ just say that!"

Al stared ahead as they walked. "No. I didn't say that. I _thought_ it, but I didn't _say_ it."

The sound of a wrench meeting metal hide rang through the market.

o.O.0.O.o

Winry took extra care to hide her purchases in her room. Even though the probability of Edward taking a leisurely, undeliberate stroll through the house had nose-dived these past few days, Winry refused to take any chances. She wanted this birthday to be a complete surprise.

The mechanic nodded to herself as she surveyed her work. Even if, for reasons unfathomable, Edward happened to glance in her room, he wouldn't be able to spot his gifts. Giving one last sigh to the chilled air, she turned around and marched out the door, confidently leaving her door wide open. On her way down the hallway, she retrieved her glass of Liquid Candy off the end table and continued down the stairs.

Once she reached the bottom, her heart almost melted at the sight she found in the other room.

Two sleeping creatures lay in a comfortable dog-pile. Drool hung and dripped from both snoring mouths. Fur and head-fur alike stuck out at odd angles, accumulating an impressively collective mass of bed-head. Books, notebooks, and loose leaf papers were scattered about around them, creating a circular flow that separated them from the rest of the room. At times like these, Winry really wished she owned a camera.

A small giggle escaped her as she carefully picked her way around the dog-pile. Once in the clear, Winry headed for the kitchen to prepare the room for that evening.

o.O.0.O.o

"So… are you a patient too?"

I looked at the kid who'd just spoken, a bit surprised that he'd worked up the courage to talk to a complete stranger. Even though Pinako thought him strong enough to function normally again, there was only so much one could expect from an eleven-year-old who had just recovered from a complete amputation. Then again, I had undergone the same torture at the ripe age of ten.

"You could say that." I replied.

Silver irises bore into my own golden ones, taking in seemingly every available detail. The kid scanned every feature, observed every movement. Every time I so much as leaned to the side the unnerving silver irises flicked back to me. This made me mildly uneasy. In exchange, I copied the kid's behavior. After all, this was the first time we had met.

The kid was short for an eleven-year-old. Dare I say, even shorter than myself at that age. Rather small-framed and frail as well, as one might expect after two weeks of bed rest and an IV replacing proper nourishment. A scraggly mop of brown hair stuck out of his skull at odd angles, the longest strands reaching halfway down his neck. Darkened circles ringed his eyes and the skin on his chest clung tightly to prominent clavicle bones. His body appeared worse for wear, however, that didn't stop his curious eyes from outshining his unhappy posture.

In those metallic eyes I could see mischief and curiosity burning brightly. From those eyes I could tell that the kid was actually excited to be here. His soul relished in seeing new places, meeting new people, and learning new things. A small smile pulled at the corner of my mouth.

 _He's kind of like me_ , I silently noted.

Currently, we sat together in the study. After Pinako banned me from the kitchen a few hours ago, I retreated to my favorite room of the house. There, I found the kid already there, leafing through the texts with his one good hand. It had been one of the more embarrassing moments in my life when I had to pathetically work my way into the room using the wall as a crutch.

In those silvery eyes though, I saw no pity, but sympathy. The kid had looked away embarrassed as I carefully lowered myself to the floor next to him.

Now, after twenty minutes of comfortable silence between us, the kid was slowly opening up to me.

"So…" he began, "Um, if I may ask, why do you keep your hair so long?"

The question caught me off guard. "Oh, uh… I don't really know."

I grinned uneasily at the kid as I rubbed my ridges, a habit I'd developed these past few days. What I'd said was a complete lie. I knew exactly why I left my hair long. I just wasn't willing to share that information. My reasoning ran too deep into my past, and I didn't want to open up that can of worms. Especially in front of someone so young and innocent.

The kid bit his lip, sensing that the conversation was headed for a dead end. Then his silver eyes lit up again before he asked, "What kind of books do you like to read?"

I paused for a moment before answering. "Boring textbooks and field journals."

"Aw, really? Dude, you're weird!"

Laughter filled the room, joined by Den's excited baying. The obnoxious din of the living room caused Pinako to shout from her place in the kitchen,

"Quiet down in there!"

"Sorry, Ms. Rockbell!" the kid shouted back.

"Sorry, old bat!" I added.

"What was that, runt?!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT?! I'M NOT SMALL, DAMMIT!"

Winry's voice added itself to the noise. "WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE, ED! THERE'S A KID IN THE HOUSE!"

Said kid giggled pleasantly. Den stopped baying and things settled down once more. The kid glanced up at me.

"My name's Jack, by the way," he said, "Jack Harrison."

I raised my eyebrow, now noticing that I'd been hearing the name "Harrison" everywhere lately.

"My name's Ed. Edward Elric." I replied.

A few moments passed before a frown pulled at Jack's lips. A few more moments passed before his silvery eyes shot open in surprise.

"No way!" he shouted, "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist!"


	8. Chapter 8

Golden Scales Chapter 8

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

My jaw remained open for the next two minutes. Never, in all my time as a State Alchemist, had I encountered someone as mellow and chill as the young Jack Harrison. Even after the bombshell had been dropped, when I expected the kid to go off on a tangent, Jack remained calm and focused. The kid obviously didn't know very much about me. He even went so far as to ask why I was famous in the first place.

"See, where I live, we don't get very much information from the rest of Amestris." Jack explained, "When we get a newspaper, we tack it up on a board in the town hall for everyone to see. One time, I saw a newspaper with your picture on it. I didn't get to read the article, but my dad told me that you're like the only good soldier in the military."

I blushed, a bit flattered. "Well, I've never actually killed anyone, and I don't plan to. I'm sure that's what they mean by that. But I'm not the only 'good soldier'. There are lots of good soldiers, like my commanding officer. And the rest of my squadron."

Jack looked up at me. "Huh. A lot of people don't like the military. I guess they just forgot about all the good soldiers."

I nodded firmly. "It's easy to forget about them when there's so many bad soldiers out there."

Jack nodded back as we slipped into a comfortable silence.

o.O.0.O.o

Roughly a half an hour later, Jack decidedly left the room without an explanation. That alone wouldn't have bothered me, if not for Pinako calling me back into the kitchen a few minutes later. Heaving a large sigh, I stood up against the wall with a grunt. Irritated, I shimmied my way across the room until I stood/leaned in the doorway. When I looked up, I nearly slid off balance and fell as I jumped at the unexpected onslaught of voices.

"SURPIRSE!"

I blinked and saw everyone standing on the other side of the table, including Jack, who looked rather confused but at the same time happy. As soon as I leaned further into the room, the scent hit me: delicious, slow-cooked stew wafted up my nose. Atop the stove sat the bubbling pot of heaven. Spread across the table were several gifts wrapped neatly in newspaper and tied with red twine.

Before I could say anything, Winry made her way across the room and enveloped me in a tight embrace. This caused my face to burn as my balance became solely dependent on my excited mechanic. Out of the corner of my fuzzy vision, I could see Alphonse pulling out a chair at the table. Winry then helped me across the room and lowered me into the seat.

I blinked again before I said, "You guys… didn't have to do all of this—"

"Yes we did!" Winry cut me off, "No arguing, mister! Now sit down, shut up, and enjoy your birthday!"

For once, I was at a loss for words, and complied with the crazy woman's demands. Alphonse giggled slightly as he took a seat next to me. Jack seated himself across from me as Winry sat down at my other side. Steam rose from the ceramic bowls as Pinako delivered them from the stove to the table, carefully avoiding spilling the hot dishes on my gifts.

"Now," Pinako said, grabbing a seat for herself, "Mr. Harrison is coming in a few days and I expect this house to be spick and span by the time he gets here."

Winry nodded, but I frowned and looked over at the silver-eyed kid across from me. "Wait, isn't your last name Harrison?"

Jack nodded with a grin. "Yep! And that's my dad! He said he'd come to get me as soon as I was able."

This time, it was Winry's turn to frown. "Mr. Harrison is your dad? And he was coming anyway?"

Jack nodded again.

Winry blinked. "So I didn't even have to call him? Wait… Oh! That's why he said—"

Pinako coughed, glaring at her granddaughter.

The blonde girl laughed nervously. "Right. Sorry."

Pinako continued, "Ed, I don't expect you to be able to help much, but I do want you to reorganize my bookshelf, since you find yourself so capable of destroying it."

I scrunched my nose up, but nodded nonetheless.

"Alphonse," she said, pointing to him, "I'll need you to move some of my equipment in the shop. We need to make room for another bed."

Then she pointed to Winry. "Winry, you'll be helping me tidy up the rest of the house. And Jack?"

He looked up at her.

"You're in charge of walking Den."

The boy straightened in his seat and saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Everyone clear on this?"

We nodded collectively.

"Good."

With that, we all happily dug into the stew.

o.O.0.O.o

Ten minutes later, the kitchen was filled with sounds of tearing paper and clapping.

I pulled a heavy rectangular object out of the paper ruins and my eyes widened at the title.

 _Wistel's Complete Works: Water Alchemy_

I smiled as I felt the aged spine. I read the tag and looked up at Winry gratefully. "This is awesome! Thank you!"

In response, the young mechanic smiled and said, "You're welcome."

Jack whistled. "Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you liked boring field journals."

Alphonse laughed. "Yeah, Brother's a weirdo, isn't he?"

"Hey!" I protested.

"Now open that one!" Al said, redirecting my attention.

I slid the medium sized parcel over to myself and untied the twine. I ripped off the paper to reveal a fresh set of notebooks and pencils. I grinned.

"Thanks, Al! I was running low on these."

"That's not even the best part," Al said, "Open the other one."

The smile slipped off of my face when I obeyed the command. Replacing that smile was an expression of pure awe.

"No way… You've got to be kidding me…"

In my hand, I held the one glorious object I'd had my sights set on for months. Smooth, authentic cow-skin leather stretched across the firm cover, augmented in silver strips and studs framing the edges. Stained into the leather with burgundy ink was fancy cursive, custom ordered to say,

 _Elric's Complete Works: Earth Alchemy_

With my single shaky hand, I set the precious object on the table and opened the cover. Inside was beautifully formatted pages, specifically printed to meet the needs of a scatterbrained alchemist. A perfect line separated a generously-sized margin for side notes and random bits and pieces of research. On the other side, horizontal lines split the page up into small strips, measured to hold a decent amount of lines on one page. When I glanced back at the torn paper, I noticed the pen that came with the journal: burgundy ink to match the curly cursive title, and a smooth-flowing gel-ink ballpoint tip.

Breathlessly, I managed to say, "H-How… How did you afford this?"

Pinako crossed her arms. "Let's just say we… fell into a small fortune. But that's not important. Now open your other present and get out of the kitchen! All of you! We've wasted enough time already."

I grinned innocently at the old lady, and carefully closed the journal. Five seconds later, I held a red steel hairbrush in my hand, complete with soft and flexible teeth. I smiled at the color. "Thanks, Winry."

"Since you keep breaking yours, I figured I'd make you one that's a little sturdier."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "How do you break a hairbrush?"

I laughed. "Many ways, Jack. Many ways."

o.O.0.O.o

Later that night, I stroked my ridges thoughtfully as I soaked up the steamy water of my bath. Since Winry removed all of my automail, I enjoyed being able to take simple baths again. Back when I had automail, swimming had been a no-go since A) I'd sink like a rock and B) I couldn't risk rusting the inner workings underneath the surface plates. Even taking normal showers presented a small hazard if I stood under the water too long. As one might expect, baths just weren't an option.

But now I could relax in scolding hot water for hours on end without consequence. The Rockbell family owned a spacious and luxurious porcelain bathtub, complete with polished lion-claw feet. An opaque shower curtain separated the tub from the rest of the room when drawn shut, giving its occupant the bliss of privacy, even if someone barged in to take an emergency dump. Plus, the closed-off atmosphere trapped the steam and hot air inside, creating a sauna-like experience.

I sighed for the umpteenth time that evening. A good sigh. A sigh that one makes when they're completely content with their circumstances.

I glanced down at my shoulder, checking the progress of my "regeneration." Before, no trace of an arm ever being there could be detected. Half of my deltoid muscle had been completely severed. But now the entire shoulder was intact, along with a few extending layers of what would possibly be my arm if the regeneration continued. Glancing down at my leg stump, I noticed my flesh approaching where my knee used to be.

I didn't like ruminating on my healing limbs. I didn't like where those thoughts lead. I especially wasn't ready to explore all of the horrifying possibilities. I just wasn't ready to face the reality of it in case my theories proved true. But I couldn't stop myself from asking questions. Like, why were my limbs regenerating now, after all these years? Was I exposed to too much radiation sometime during my missions? Or was I born with weird regenerative abilities that for some reason only started to function now? And, of course, the very last daunting question. A question that I _really_ didn't want a positive answer to:

Was Truth giving my limbs back?

I found myself shivering at that thought, despite my being submerged in near-boiling water. But, if Truth were giving my limbs back, why was he doing it? Was Truth about to take something different from me; something I valued equally? Or was Truth breaking our deal? Would Truth take Alphonse back?

That last question did it. I shook my head and made a frustrated growl. Taking a deep breath, I cleared my mind. It was not a smart decision, I knew, but I decided to ignore those pressing thoughts for now.

So I chose to relax until I knew a little more about what was going on. The only thing I should've been driving myself crazy over was how I would manage to restore my brother's body. And even that proved difficult in the once again serene environment of the bathtub.

Sliding further down into the water, I allowed the scolding water to wash over my shoulders and lower neck as I leaned my head against the porcelain rim. Releasing another sigh, I rubbed my ridges. Now that I thought about it, I was kind of surprised that Jack hadn't noticed them earlier. Surely those silvery eyes of his spotted them beneath my hair. If he did manage to catch sight of them, he didn't say anything. I found that odd, considering whatever the kid observed, a thorough report of it poured freely out of his mouth within seconds.

Again, I forced my train of thought to stop, and let the soothing warmth of the water lull me into a short slumber.

Until I gasped.

Panic pried my eyes open in a fraction of a second. Immediately, I sat up as much as I could and coughed. I couldn't breathe. My ridges burned fiercely. Uselessly, I clawed at my throat but my closed-off windpipe continued to deny me air.

My thoughts becoming fuzzy now, I gripped the rim of the tub as if it would somehow anchor me to life. My head swam as my vision dimmed. Still, no air entered my lungs. And it felt as if the sides of my neck were blazing with hell-fire.

In my panic, I could barely feel my hand slip on the porcelain beneath me. This sent me splashing down into the tub, and I dully noted that my entire head had slipped beneath the waterline.

My two remaining limbs thrashed hopelessly as I desperately tried to grab hold of the tub's rim again.

Then suddenly it all went away.

The flaring fire in my neck receded. The sharp ache of my lungs dissipated. The scolding temperature of the water became soothing once more. I could feel my chest moving, yet not my lungs, which felt odd but acceptable. Confused now more than ever, I slowly pried my eyelids open again. And what I saw made no sense.

A distorted and surrounding shower curtain, leading to an equally distorted bathroom ceiling. The lines seemed to disobey the laws of physics as they moved in a groovy, colorless psychedelic pattern. I frowned in my exhausted state while I watched the images bend and curve with no shape or direction. I turned my head to the side and, beyond a flowy curtain of golden hair, I observed the porcelain wall of the bathtub. It was completely motionless; unlike the world I saw above the rim.

Before I could make heads or tails of what I was seeing, the strange little world around me vanished into darkness, and I felt myself drift off into an equally strange little dreamscape.


	9. Chapter 9

Golden Scales Chapter 9

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Al had just finished pushing the steel bed frame into the corner when a persistent question all but head-butted him.

"Granny?" Al asked tentatively.

The old woman let out a frustrated cry as the part she dropped skidded out of her reach. "What is it now, Al? And hand me that screw, would ya?"

The armor obeyed the command as he answered, "Well, um… I was thinking and… erm, what are we going to tell the military if they call Brother back before he's ready?"

The old woman took the screw from his gauntlet and resumed her work.

"You leave that to me." she replied, not even looking up. "Now why don't you do something useful, like handing me that screwdriver?"

He sighed, giving up. After completing Pinako's request, Al resumed setting up the doctor's quarters. As he laid out the sheets, he thought about what it felt like to re-grow a limb. Surely something of the like would be painful, but his brother showed no signs of discomfort these past few days. Not since they removed his prosthetics. Al had to wonder if Edward always harbored the amazing ability. He thought back when his brother was recovering from his first automail surgery, reflecting on how he'd managed it in one year. At the time, they'd all figured his undying determination flipped a switch of some sort. But now… now Alphonse wasn't so sure. After all, he'd always known his brother to be a quick healer. Maybe too quick.

The armor set the last pillow on the bed and nodded at his work. Glancing at the stairs, he remembered that his brother laid in the bathtub unchecked for at least an hour. Usually, the teen pruned up by then and called for assistance to get out. Alphonse silently laughed at the image his mind conjured up.

"I think I'll go check on Brother now." he told Pinako.

He received nothing but a wave in return. Sighing again, he started for the stairs.

Once he reached the bathroom door, he gave it a small knock.

"Brother?" he asked, "Are you ready to get out now?"

No response.

"Brother?" he asked again, a little louder.

Still no response.

Al placed his gauntlets on his hips and called, "Ed, if you fell asleep again I swear I'll—"

Suddenly Den started barking downstairs, cutting him off. If the armor had eyes, he would've rolled them.

Over the din of barking, Al continued, "Wake up, Brother! I'm coming in now…"

Thinking nothing of it, he stepped inside and opened the curtain. But what he found in the tub was far from what he expected: empty water.

Edward was gone.

o.O.0.O.o

Dark.

That's the first thing I registered.

It was dark. And cold. Very cold.

Also, pain. Dull, throbbing pain coursing through my body. Areas of numbness too, it felt like. I felt nothing from the waist down.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. And I couldn't have opened my eyes any wider. I felt myself blink in even intervals. But with each blink, I came no closer to taking in my unknown environment.

Weightless. Another thing I felt at the moment. Completely weightless, as if gravity ceased to grab purchase on me. It made no sense to me.

I tried to think. Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated. Nothing came to me. I harbored no clue about where I was, or how I got here. Only that the last thing I remembered was a dream. A dream of a moving ceiling, and a static porcelain wall.

Slowly, my senses creeped back to me. What felt like centuries later, I could finally make out a dim, square-shaped beam of light hitting a shiny floor. Soon the feeling of this floor underneath me registered on the flesh pinched between.

Maybe I wasn't floating after all.

A moment later, I felt a finger twitch. Voluntarily, I mimicked the movement. Sure enough, the same finger obeyed the command, albeit slowly. Small amounts of confusion ebbed away, replaced by relief. If I waited, I'd be able to move again.

And that I did. I waited a full imaginary century later.

Finally, my body racked with shivers and tremors, not unlike a dog shaking to dry itself. Yet, I still felt nothing beyond my hips.

Still blind as could be, I pushed myself almost upright, holding myself without my useless lower body. I felt worry now coursing through me. Was I paralyzed?

Time drew on and I began to remember different things. Choking in a bathtub. A curtain of blond hair floating next to the static porcelain wall. The dream, all over again. Still, I recalled nothing else.

Suddenly, a pounding headache attacked me. I winced at the pain, but slowly it dulled. Then it all started coming back to me.

I registered myself as weightless again as thousands upon thousands of images flashed behind my eyes. My golden eyes.

Needless to say, I flicked on the "freak-out switch" when the slideshow ended.

I still didn't know much about my current predicament, but I was rather grateful to remember passing out in the bathroom before… whatever this was.

Still confusedly blind, I propped myself up without much effort. I glanced around my black environment and figured that small patch of light was the only thing definite at the moment.

I tried to move towards it. The movement failed on the account that I still couldn't move my lower body. It was strange, since as far as I knew, I still had one leg.

The first noise I made since waking up, and it was a deep, guttural growl. I could not hear it, but felt it vibrate in my throat. Irritated, I moved to use my single arm, only to notice that it might not have been so single anymore.

Nerves from a previously non-existent part of me fired to life and registered the pressure of the floor beneath me. Again, my eyes could not have opened any wider.

Choosing to focus on that later, despite my surprise, I resumed my task: moving. Using -le gasp- both arms, I pulled myself closer to the square of light. I dully noted that the small dragging movement did more than I expected. I felt myself weightlessly sail towards the light, and saw said light grow in proximity.

Now I was really confused. It was almost as if I were…

Underwater.

But that was nonsense. Because then, how was I breathing?

No. I shook my head and clamped my jaw shut, blocking everything out. My vision tunneled as I effortlessly pulled myself to the square. As I got closer, I noticed two lines of darkness crossing through the light: window panes. Sure enough, I looked up and saw the source, fuzzily through my distorted vision, a window.

And if that wasn't enough, suddenly my hearing began tuning in to my surroundings. I halted for a moment and listened. I heard voices. Just… talking. Faint, as if behind a wall of glass.

I paused completely before my ears picked up a little bit of what was being said.

"… crawling with soldiers once they realize it's missing." one voice said.

"Don't worry." another answered, "It doesn't look anything like the boy they'll be looking for. Not anymore."

My eyes widened at that. Also, the voices sounded eerily far away and echo-y, as if they were contained in a glass room. Before I could think to do anything, the next voice spoke.

"Yes, and the military is just going to let us slide on by when they see we've got a creature like that with us."

Creature? What—

"We'll say we're from the circus or something. Besides, I don't think we'll have to deal with the military at all. We have to jump trains every other day for this to work, right?"

As I listened, my subconscious mind noticed that the feeling in my lower body had slowly returned. My mind reeled at what I was hearing, while, unknowingly, my "legs" were poised and ready for movement again.

"That's true." the first voice stated, "Speaking of jumping trains, are you ready for another jump, Amery?"

"Just about, Allephe. A few more hours, maybe."

"Good. It should be waking up any minute now. Aliss, why don't you go check on it?"

Panicking now, I aborted my previous task and pushed myself backwards. And backwards I went, until I felt myself reach a wall. The sound of echo-y footsteps rang through my environment. My heart racing, I slid myself to the side until finally I pressed my back into a corner and shut my eyes.

The footsteps drew closer, and instinctively, my eyes shot open to view my predator. Then something odd happened. Something that caused the rest of the world, including the footsteps, to melt away.

When I'd opened my eyes, I caught sight of a glint of gold in my lower peripheral vision. My eyes flicked down. I then noticed another square of moonlight right in front of me. Everything else was drowned out by darkness, yet the floor gleamed bright. But not golden.

Temporarily robbed of my ability to think, I frowned at the sudden mystery. I watched the square intently, deaf, and concentrated until I saw it again: gold.

What looked like a mass of gold swiped across the frame of light. I froze, thinking that something else was with me in the… room. The gold did not return, and during my pause, I finally noticed that the senses of my lower body returned. And when I pressed my "legs" to the floor, just to make sure, it was accompanied by perhaps the strangest feeling in the world.

Ever so slowly, almost terrified, I inched my lower half towards the square of light. And I couldn't have been more surprised when it finally got there.

A golden, scaly, dolphin-like fishtail gleamed beneath the moonlight.


	10. Chapter 10

Golden Scales Chapter 10

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

She shuffled her feet across the floor, dreading the sight she would surely find when she reached her destination. An unfortunate creature laying limp at the bottom of its glass prison. Just like the last four times she checked on it. She glued her eyes to the floor as she walked. She didn't want to see that awful sight. She didn't want to face that overwhelming sense of guilt and pity when she saw their miserable catch again.

Aliss always hated this part of the plan. Her sisters had stated many times that they didn't much care for it, either. But Aliss couldn't help but feel like she bore the blunt of remorse. Regret and guilt seemed to sink their fangs a little deeper into her with each attempt they made. She understood that they harbored a noble cause to justify their crimes. The need to save their youngest sister from a frozen, timeless coffin offered a pretty valid excuse for kidnapping a land-raised siren.

Yet, Aliss choked down an ugly sob. Her bottom eyelids pooled with liquid. Taking such a majestic creature away from everything it knew was just wrong. Even though the creature pretty much knew nothing about itself at this point.

Taking a deep breath first, she raised her gaze straight ahead of her. Peering through the darkness of the room, she could make out the glass of the tank glaring with moonlight. She paused once she arrived five feet away from the glass wall. And her eyes shot wide when she caught sight of their unstill captive.

It pressed its back into the corner of the enclosure, its chest heaving as it gawked in shock at something immediately in front of it. Aliss traced her vision to follow the siren's and noticed its beautiful tailfin gleaming in the square of moonlight. Aliss was allured by the sight, but its expression told her the siren didn't think the tail so beautiful.

 _Oh no…_ She thought, _Here it comes._

Aliss squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her palms. She braced herself for the deafening screech that would surely follow.

To her surprise, it never came. Slowly, with shaky hands, she removed her palms from the sides of her head. Prying her eyes open once more, she noticed that the siren's chest still heaved erratically. Its gills opened and closed a mile a minute, as if the siren couldn't get enough air. A pang of worry flitted through her stomach. If it kept breathing like that it would eventually hyperventilate and faint.

Quickly yet calmly, she surged forward. Immediately, the siren's head snapped up to face the sound of her footsteps. Its golden eyes widened in shock and fear. Aliss nearly choked, but pressed forward anyway. Once she'd circled around the tank and reached the glass wall directly to the siren's left, she stopped. Then, ever so slowly, she crouched down to be eye-level with it.

In real time, their noses were a mere ten inches apart, including the glass between them. Unnervingly metallic gold irises bore into Aliss's midnight blue. The former scanned critically for a threat while the latter wavered in guilt and nervousness. Aliss forced her voice steady and calm as she whispered,

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. I'll keep you safe."

The siren, seemingly picking up the quiet statement through the thick glass, narrowed its eyes in suspicion. Yet, its chest still heaved in panic.

"I promise." she added, her tone true and gentle.

Before the siren could respond, a window across the warehouse suddenly shattered.

o.O.0.O.o

She listened to the dull ring on the other line as she released an impatient sigh.

After what felt like hours, a sharp voice answered, "Well?"

The woman's lips curved into a neutral pout. "They're on their way now. They should reach it in a few days."

The other voice hummed. "Good. And you?"

"Everything's ready. Now we wait for those incompetent worms to hold up their end."

She could practically hear his scowl. "Those 'incompetent worms' are part of Father's plans, as are you and I."

She paused for a moment before replying, "Still, they've failed us three times before. I can't help but think they're actually working against us."

"Hm. I agree. However, I think those wenches have played a part in that as well. It seems we run into them more often than not. If they show up again this time, I'm afraid we'll have to dispose of them somehow. Father won't wait much longer."

The woman hummed in agreement. Then she glanced out at the sea below her, the moon's reflection rippling across the far tides. Its full waxed glow seemed to mock her. She sneered silently.

"There's one other thing, Wrath."

"And what would that be, Lust?" he asked.

Peering down at the moon once more, she replied,

"The lunar eclipse is approaching. We don't have much time."

o.O.0.O.o

A darkened figure stepped through the frame of broken glass. Immediately, the three sisters snapped into battle stance. The figure seemed to notice this, but chose to press further into the room. It moved slowly, seeming to deliberately create suspense and tension in the room.

Aliss's heart pounded as the figure shuffled along the wall. She stole a brief glance back at the siren's tank and noticed it had inevitably fainted. Quickly, she focused her eyes back on the intruder, tightening her fingers around the charmed beads that hung from her neck.

Finally, Amery lit a ball of violet flame in her palm, illuminating the room. The figure froze.

It was a human. Dressed in black, its face concealed by a black ski mask. In its hand, it clutched what appeared to be a pillow case. A small pocket knife rested unsheathed and ready in the other hand.

A burglar.

The witches released a collective breath, relieved. Allephe gave it her best wolf stare. It swallowed.

"W-Wrong house…" it said, voice wavering.

Then the burglar retreated up and back out of the broken window from which it came.

Aliss dropped her shoulders and sat down with her two sisters. Amery extinguished her fire, cloaking the warehouse in black once more. A good ten minutes passed before anyone spoke again.

"So," Allephe ventured, "Are you ready for the next jump, Amery?"

Amery lifted her hand and a fair amount of green smoke poured from her palm. "Almost. An hour now, I'd say."

Allephe nodded. "Good."

"Um, guys?" Aliss asked, "What are we going to do when the siren wakes up?"

Allephe frowned. "What do you mean? Was there something wrong with it?"

She twisted her fingers around the beads nervously. "No… Not really. It's just, well…"

Her sisters waited for an answer that couldn't come fast enough. Thirty seconds ticked by before one of them had had enough of waiting.

"Spit it out, already!" Amery snapped.

Suddenly, Aliss's eyes pooled with tears. And, voice cracked with emotion, she finally shouted,

"I don't want it to be scared of us, okay!"

Her sisters looked at her with blank, confused expressions.

She continued, "I hate how we take them away like this! And I hate how we can't tell them why! There has to be something we can tell it. Something that'll make it a little less terrified. I won't sit back and watch another siren suffer a living nightmare because of us."

She snotted into her sleeve, choking back sobs, before muttering,

"I-I just… can't live with that anymore."

Allephe was silent for a while. A thoughtful expression ruled her face. Amery just stared at her as if she'd grown a third eye. She was plenty familiar with how overly-sympathetic Aliss was towards pretty much everything. But she could not fathom why Aliss would become this upset over kidnapping their third siren.

Finally, Allephe sighed. "Fine. I was thinking about this earlier anyway, and, well, I think I know what'll fix this."

Aliss lit up. "Really?!"

The eldest sister gave her a look. "I don't think you'll like it. But the siren would definitely be better off."

Amery suddenly gasped. "Oh no, you don't mean _that_ …?"

"What? What does she mean?" Aliss asked, glancing worriedly between the two.

Instead of answering her sister, Allephe raised her palm. Aliss's brow furrowed in confusion. Then her eyes widened as she noticed distinctive white smoke pouring from her hand.

Aliss panicked. "Wait! _STOP!_ "

Before her sister could restrain her, Allephe flicked the smoke towards the glass tank. It sank through and enveloped the slumbering creature at the bottom. Aliss watched in horror as the smoke was absorbed, and a bright flash of white light blinded her.

o.O.0.O.o

On a dark hill, slick with mud and grass, a pair of nostrils scanned the liquefied soil. The large, humanoid creature moved with both front and hind limbs, almost mimicking that of a bloodhound's. Another similar creature with a thinner frame, stood upright and walked like a man behind the first one. An ugly scowl twisted his lips.

Suddenly, the creature in front halted. He sucked in as much air as his lungs would hold, yet he could not smell his previous trail. An animalistic frown replaced the former concentration. He looked up at the second creature, slightly upset.

"It's gone," he intoned nervously.

The second creature stopped. His voice was scratchy, rough, and hintingly irritated when he spoke. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"I can't follow further."

The thinner one face-palmed before asking, "Can you tell me why? Does the trail just stop here? Is it too far away now? Did it _die_? What happened?!"

The larger creature shook his head. "The scent is gone. Just vanished. Like it doesn't exist anymore."


	11. Chapter 11

Golden Scales Chapter 11

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I came to slowly. The rising sun tanned my eyelids, encouraging them to open and take in the glorious light. The rays also warmed my face and upper torso. But I knew well enough what that light would do once I did open my eyes.

Not feeling as if I would have to get up anytime soon, I turned on my side to block the rays and curled up on the soft plush beneath me. From the smell of it, I'd say I rested on freshly picked cotton. My senses, dulled with previous slumbers, faded back into existence. I could feel the floor shift and pivot slightly beneath me. I could hear the sound of metal wheels screeching against metal tracks, and wooden walls rattling with every bump.

A train. I was on a train.

Still rather fogged with drowsiness, I levered myself upright and rubbed my eyes. Obscured with what felt and looked like slime, my vision could only make out general shapes and colors at the moment. So I rubbed my eyes again and blinked several times. Finally, my eyes adjusted and sharpened.

I was indeed on a train. Both of the side doors were open, displaying the beautiful mountain range that rushed past outside. Inside the car with me were, as I predicted, bags of cotton. I had no clue how I got here. In fact, I wasn't even sure where I was. Or who I was. And when I happened to glance down, I added "what I was" to the list.

I blinked again, this time in confusion and worry. A frown twisted my lips downward. But before I could make sense of and register what I saw in place of legs, a voice from the other side of the car interrupted my thoughts.

"Good morning, sleepy-head."

I snapped my head up to see a girl sitting cross-legged in front of the open car door. She wore what looked like priestess robes. In her black hair, a white ribbon was tied around a low ponytail. In her fingers, she twisted and wrapped a necklace of red beads. Her midnight blue eyes sparkled with glowing amusement as she observed me.

I blinked despite myself. "Uhh… Morning."

She gave me a small smile at my polite reply.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" she said wistfully, "It's a shame we'll be stuck on a train all day."

I didn't know how to respond to that. All I knew was that I knew nothing at the moment. And a pocket of emptiness in my mind ached as if I should've been able to answer that statement with ease. My nose scrunched in disappointment. Then my face grew cold in what my instincts told me was an embarrassed blush of some kind.

"Hey, umm…." I started, rubbing my rough-skinned neck nervously, "You see, I-I uhh… I don't mean to, like, offend you, or shock you, but I don't exactly know who you are."

I mentally kicked himself. Why was I so awful at articulating myself? Did I always stutter like this?

The girl laughed. "That doesn't surprise me. I don't exactly know who you are either."

I drew aback at the statement, eyes wide. "Huh?!"

"We just rescued you yesterday," she continued, "We don't know anything about you. Just that you're safe with us now."

Questions swirled in my brain. "What do you mean 'we'? And rescued from what?"

Her smile slipped off her lips, a sad gleam clouding her eyes.

"From the military. And… something else. Something much worse. As for 'we' I mean me and my sisters."

Before I could properly sit on that, a new person entered the car, via the side door, who I could only assume to be one of the "sisters."

She wore a similar outfit, only her robes were white and blue instead of white and red. No beads were twisted around her hand, but a golden amulet hung from her neck. She tied her black hair in a similar fashion, but her eyes sparkled blood red. Her nose tapered into a small impish point, giving a mischievous look about her.

"Oh good, the siren's awake." she said, her voice strong and direct.

"Siren?" I asked no one in particular.

Her scrutinizing gaze focused on me. "Yes, siren. I meant you."

I swallowed nervously, shifting my eyes to the floor.

"I can't make another jump until tomorrow," she continued, addressing her sister, "We'll have to spend the night here again."

"Very well." the blue-eyed sister replied with a nod.

The red-eyed sister plopped onto the floor where she stood, folding her legs under her. She then turned her gaze back to me and asked,

"So, how's fish-boy doing?"

Snapping my head up to face her, my cheeks grew cold again as I shouted, "I'm not a fish!"

The red-eyed sister laughed. "Oh yeah? Have you seen yourself lately?"

A scowl set into my lips. I could tell right then that I wouldn't be getting along with this particular sister. Even if she had a hand in saving me, I didn't care for her blunt and careless way of speaking.

"Oh, stop teasing the siren, Amery," a voice from the door drawled.

Another sister entered the car. This one appeared to be the eldest. She held a modest air about her, stern and a bit motherly. Her robes were white and gold, her eyes a soft brown. She bore no accessories, but held a sturdy branch as a walking stick. She too seated herself, folding her legs beneath her.

I felt left out. I could not copy their movements and sit in such a way. Albeit beautiful, a golden-scaled fishtail shimmered in place of legs. Only, the actual tailfin was thick and muscly, like a dolphin's.

The sisters engaged themselves in a conversation that seemed irrelevant to me, so I took the opportunity to survey myself.

Like I'd addressed before, I had a long golden fishtail, the sides sporting stripes of darkened scales. These scales seemed to cover my entire body, and I noticed that those same stripes of discoloration followed up my sides. They even traced up the outsides of my arms.

My hands consisted of elongated fingers, thin translucent webbing occupying the gaps between them. I could not see my own face, but I felt around. My nose, it seemed, might've been similar to that of a snake's. It still retained a humanoid shape, but it was significantly smaller and sharper. When I ran my hand across where my ears should've been I encountered honest-to-goodness fish fins. They even flicked in irritation, and I soon noticed that I could flick them voluntarily as well.

I still had hair, golden hair, which was definitely a plus. But not as much as I thought I would, meaning I had more. A lot more. I traced it down all the way to the small of my back. A gap in my memory buzzed with missing information, and I frowned. Then suddenly a random thought hit me. Something I should've asked myself a long time ago. The moment I woke up, I should've asked it, actually.

 _How am I breathing?_ I asked myself.

If I really was some kind of… mer-person, then how was I breathing on land? I felt around my neck and, sure enough, I found three ridges on each side. Closed gills. I took a deep breath, feeling a pair of lungs fill with cold air.

I shrugged.

I stretched my muscles, shaking off the left-over drowsiness. It felt slightly odd, stretching the muscles in my tail. I had a lot of them, it felt like. Especially around the tailfin. Built for power and speed, I figured. I wondered just what my tail would be capable of in the water.

Before I realized it, the sisters had stopped talking. When I looked over, they were staring at me. I blushed, shrinking a little at the unsettling amount of attention. Then the blue-eyed sister smiled.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves," she said, "My name is Aliss."

She gestured towards her red-eyed sister, and then the brown-eyed.

"And this is Amery and Allephe."

Amery grinned. Allephe mustered a polite but forced smile. I waved awkwardly in response.

"I, um… I would tell you my name, but I don't remember it."

Allephe just gave me an eerily knowing smile. "That's alright. You can tell us what you want to be called when you decide."

I nodded. The sisters went back into conversation, giving me time to think. I used this time, and searched the depths of my empty mind.

Closing my eyes, I sank into my personal abyss. I took a deep breath and relaxed, letting the gentle waves of thought wash over me. The only information that came to me was that of my recent awakening. Nothing else.

Since my thoughts did not offer anything, I opened my eyes and gazed outside the train car. I marveled at the beauty of the mountain range. Each peak stretched towards the warmth of the sun, yet retained a cold enough climate to sustain the snow that glittered at the top. If I had to have a name, I wanted it to be meaningful and strong. Like those mountains.

I scanned the bottom of the mountain, where forests of pine trees sprouted from the jagged landscape. Raging rapids carved themselves into the rock, twisting and winding through the land. Eagles and hawks soared overhead, riding the turbulent gales with ease. It was all very inspirational, yet it yielded no ideas.

Frustrated now, I searched my mind for generic names. Several normal human names popped up, but none of my liking. Then again, I wasn't exactly sure what I liked at the moment. I was tempted to just pick something simple like "Ed" and call it good.

"Well?" Amery said, interrupting my thoughts, "Any ideas yet?"

Under her intense gaze, and the pressure of everyone looking at me, I started sweating. (Was that even possible?) I wasn't ready, dammit! I didn't want to say that either. I didn't want to be pegged as indecisive, or a slow thinker. So quickly, I scrounged my mind for the last name that came to mind.

"Ed," I heard myself say, "Call me Ed."


	12. Chapter 12

Golden Scales Chapter 12

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Later that night, I seated myself on the ledge of the train car, looking out at the moonlit valley. Small lakes reflected the glow of the waxed moon. Speckles of white light dotted the endless black ceiling. Towering oaks branched out and towards the sky, their thick boughs illuminated invitingly. Once, I thought I spotted something strange occupying one of those boughs. Like an angel with black wings. The train flew by before I could make sense of what I saw.

I filled my lungs with chilled air. Releasing my breath, I closed my eyes and dropped my tensed shoulders. All night, it seemed, I worried about whatever family or friends I might've left behind. And although I knew the sisters knew no more than I did, I wished they could tell me a little more. I wished they knew.

I latched my webbed hand onto the door handle for balance and leaned forward a bit, letting the wind whip my long hair. Turbulent air battered and beat my scaled face, yet it yielded no pain or damage. It felt good. A tendril of guilt pierced my stomach. If I did have family, they would be suffering right then, while I was here enjoying the adrenalin rush of sticking my head out of a speeding train car. I pouted slightly. I pulled myself back in the car and sighed.

The wooden boards beside me suddenly creaked with pressure. I looked over to see Aliss calmly seating herself next to me. She offered me a weak smile. Her irises matched the night sky, a hint of pity dusted behind their comforting intentions. I smiled back half-heartedly. She remained silent. She just sat there, offering her company.

I turned my gaze back to the view. I felt like a king as the vast land spread far beneath the train's rails. I could see everything from here. All of the magic that thrived in the country side. The magic that flitted through the trees. The magic that hung and swooped above the wind. The magic that sat cross-legged and quiet next to me. The magic that resided within myself. Life, and all of its fair offspring.

The world above the ocean was beautiful.

I silently remarked that I probably wasn't used to such a sight. Sirens lived in the sea, as far as I could figure. I had the fins and scales to prove it. It didn't bother me, though. Maybe, if I had my memories, I'd be freaking out and demanding to be taken back to my home. But right then, I didn't quite know where "home" was. Right then I enjoyed the view that open air had to offer, and its kind people.

I snuck a glance at the girl next to me. She told me that she and her sisters saved me. And I had no trouble believing it. The honesty in her eyes, her calm demeanor, and her gentle nature convinced me so. Since the moment I woke up, this human acted with nothing but kindness towards me. She openly explained the extent of her knowledge and defended me from the teasing of her rude sister. Over the course of the day, my trust in this girl swelled.

Although, I carefully avoided placing all of my trust in her. I knew better than to blindly follow another being. That was an instinct I'd kept even after my amnesia.

Nevertheless, I favored Aliss's company over her sisters'. I did not like Amery's blunt and vindictive attitude. And I formed an understanding with Allephe: to keep a comfortable distance until our trust grew strong enough. While I harbored healthy respect for the other two, Aliss has been the only one to fully open up to and accept me. I liked that about her.

I didn't know I was staring until Aliss turned to me and quirked a brow. My cheeks grew cold in embarrassment and I quickly looked away. She giggled. Before I could say anything she spoke first,

"Doesn't that bother you?"

I blinked despite myself. "Huh?"

"Your hair," she explained, "It's so long. Doesn't it get in the way while it's down like that?"

That's the last thing I expected her to ask. Not quite knowing what to answer, I said, "Um, n-not really. I mean, I didn't notice it before…"

I rubbed my gills and laughed nervously. Dammit! Why did I act like a nervous wreck every time someone asked me something?

She smiled. "Indeed. I guess one doesn't notice silly things like that when they've got more important things on their mind."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You were thinking about your family, weren't you?"

Grinning, I said, "Why of course not! I was thinking about how lovely these floorboards looked!" A pitiful excuse for a joke, but I felt as if I needed to lighten the mood. The tension and worry would grow too oppressive if left alone to fester.

Aliss caught onto this and a fake laugh slipped through her lips. Then she playfully shoved my shoulder, unintentionally multiplying the intense awkwardness between us.

Our laughter faded into a comfortable silence. A few minutes of this silence passed, allowing me to clear my mind. Again, I focused on the world outside of the train car. I could see a river now. Violent rapids pounded the rocks as the water sped through the bed. I flicked my eyes to the right of that to see the start of a huge forest. A deer hopped out of the brush, followed by two small fawns. They leaped over the rapids easily and continued on their way.

Suddenly, a thought hit me.

"Aliss?" I asked tentatively.

She looked up at me. "Hmm?"

"When you rescued me, where was I? Where did you find me?"

Her midnight blue eyes grew sad and distant. She didn't answer for a long time. The silence grew heavier and heavier at each passing minute. Aliss glanced behind her several times, as if checking for eavesdropping sisters. Finally, she said,

"Resembool. We found you in a town called Resembool."

She looked up at me, liquid pooled in her eyelids. "I'm sorry… I can't remember anything else. We didn't see your family. W-We… We just needed to get you out… before they took you first."

I nodded in understanding. "That's okay, Aliss. Resembool is good enough for me."

She gave me a watery smile. "If I knew more, I swear I'd tell you."

"I know."

It wasn't long before I asked my next question.

"So, um… where are we going exactly?"

She sighed, gazing out at the moon. "Right now? We're avoiding the military. The more we move around, the less likely they are to catch us. And, something else too…"

"I've been meaning to ask, what is this 'something else'?"

Aliss gave me a look. "Basically, they're immortal humans. They want something that we have."

I frowned. "If they're already immortal, what could they possibly want?"

"They want you."

I stared at her. Her eyes widened a moment after, and she slapped her hand to her mouth.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Me? What do they want me for?"

Aliss's eyes pooled with tears again, and her voice cracked with emotion as she said, "I-I— I'm s-sorry, Ed. I said too much…"

"Oh, by all means," a new voice said, "You haven't said anything yet, Aliss. Do continue."

We spun around to see Amery standing proudly above us, her arms crossed, mock amusement glittering in her blood-red eyes.

"A-Amery?! W-What—"

The red-eyed sister waved her off. "It's totally cool, sis. We just can't tell him why _we_ need him, remember?"

The blue-eyed sister turned from beat red to chalk white. "B-But Amery, you just made it worse! Now he's going to—"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" I interrupted, holding my head, "Everyone hold it!"

The two sisters froze.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?"

Silence. Aliss clamped her jaw shut and started sniffling. Amery rolled her eyes at her sister, but didn't say anything. I'd begun to think I finally hit a trust block with the sisters after a few minutes. I nearly made up my mind to just drop it when a third voice sighed and said,

"I'll do it."

Allephe emerged from the darkness and offered her hand to me. Slightly confused, I extended my own shaky hand and took it. With one last parting glare towards Aliss, the eldest sister closed her eyes. Pale green smoke enveloped us. I felt a tug in my stomach before the world around me turned black.

o.O.0.O.o

"They want me to _what_?!"

"They want you to find the Sage Shrine," Allephe repeated.

My mind reeled at this new information. My thoughts were spinning out of control, questions bombarding me left and right. Most of all, I didn't see how I could find this "Sage Shrine" when I couldn't even remember my own name. The elder sister had patiently taken it upon herself to repeat the same things and answer the same questions over and over again. For this, I was grateful. But none of this made sense to me. I needed to know more.

"What is this Sage Shrine again?" I asked.

Allephe sighed. "I told you, it houses a special artifact. Something that would help the creator of the homunculi achieve god-like status. Or so they think."

I rubbed the side of my aching head. "And what's this 'artifact' called again?"

"The Knowing Jewel. Or informally known as the Moon Stone."

I sighed. "So, basically, these homunculi want me to find this rock at the bottom of the sea that will supposedly help them take over the world. And you three are making sure they don't get ahold of me, while you also have a secret agenda for me, which you can't say anything about or else someone important to you will die?"

Allephe nodded. "That sums it up nicely, yes."

Groaning, I fell back onto my bed of cotton bags. "Aliss was right. I didn't want to open this can of worms."

A bitter laugh slipped through Allephe's lips. "Yeah. Sucks knowing too much, doesn't it?"

"Yes. It does. Why did you tell me if you knew I wouldn't like it?"

"Because you would've driven us crazy if I hadn't."

I snorted. "True."

The train car grew silent again. Even though I was not yet satisfied, I could understand their circumstances now. They had no reason to lie to me except for my own safety. And apparently the safety of someone else, as well. But it did feel a bit rushed.

It felt like what Allephe just told me was meant to be figured out over time. Like they were supposed to tell me that when their trust was stronger. But since Aliss's slip up would've driven them all mad, Allephe was practically forced to dump it all on me now. I appreciated Allephe's honesty, but it was too much for me to process.

Which is why I chose to shove it all to the back of my mind for now. I would have to take a little bit of it each night and carefully mull it over. Right now, I wanted to distance myself from the witches, and figure things out by myself, at my own pace. But I could hardly ask them to go sleep in a different car. Not when they'd been so kind to me thus far. Even if they had a "hidden agenda" which sounded more wistful and hopeful than cynical. It felt as if whatever they intended to do with me, it would give them great relief when it was done.

Of course, since I couldn't ask them to leave the car, I did squirm my way to the farthest corner away from their beds as possible. When the witches finally fell asleep, I made my bed as best I could and curled up facing said corner.

A few hours later, my mind stopped spinning long enough for me to slip away into the relief of my dreamscape.


	13. Chapter 13

Golden Scales Chapter 13

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

The next morning, I dragged myself to the edge of the car again. I scanned the progress of the train's journey and saw that we'd left all of those beautiful mountains and valleys behind. Now we were cutting through a dense forest, winding and twisting between the trees. A thick green canopy closed the sun off above us, dusting the forest floor with speckles of sunlight while the rest was shaded. I grabbed onto the door handle and looked ahead of the train.

In the distance, I could see a large clearing approaching. I also spotted buildings and abandoned train cars sunken in the soil. I squinted a bit and saw a few humans moseying about the concrete platform. Instincts told me it wouldn't go over well if a human managed to spot me. Quickly, I ducked back into the car and said,

"Guys? We've got a station up ahead. I think we should—"

The horrible sound of metal screeching against metal cut me off.

"Already on it," Allephe said, locking the other door.

She paced over and shut my door as well, locking it firmly.

Amery lit a few candles with her violet fire, swathing the darkened environment in soft purple light. "Alright guys, you remember the drill. Keep it down to quiet whispers, and no loud noises. Freeze if you hear someone approaching the car."

Allephe and Aliss nodded. I found myself nodding as well. When the witches started busying themselves with navigation, I dragged myself back over to my bed. I hated this, I noticed. I hated not being able to walk. In an ideal environment, I'd be slithering effortlessly through water. But on land I had little to no mobility. I had to use my arms just to get from one side of the car to the other.

It bothered me to no end. Especially when my hair got caught in between the floorboards. But I couldn't do anything about it. I'd just have to make do with moving like an inch-worm. Embarrassing and humiliating yes, but it worked.

Finally, I reached my bed of cotton bags and hoisted myself up onto it. I rested there, panting, for a good ten minutes before I felt the pressure of another sitting on the end of my make-shift bed. Aliss gave me a nervous smile.

I couldn't muster a smile for her, but instead chose to tonelessly whisper, "Good morning."

"Morning." she whispered back, equally toneless.

A few awkward seconds ticked by. The air grew uncomfortably thick around us. The tension between us created an unsettling silence. After what felt like forever, I readied myself to say something. But Aliss beat me to the punch. Again.

"I'm sorry," she breathed shamefully, "About last night, about your memory, about everything…"

Before she could start crying again and give our train car away, I quickly whispered, "Hey, it's okay. I understand. And I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I'm the one who should be sorry."

She shook her head. "No, I shouldn't have said too much. I slipped up."

I sighed. "Fine. But don't blame yourself for my memory problem. That's not your fault."

She looked into my eyes sadly, wearing an odd expression. Before I could decipher it, Allephe whispered,

"Would you two shut it over there? I think someone's coming!"

Immediately, everyone froze. Allephe was right: I could hear the sound of footsteps crunching gravel outside. The sound got closer and closer, and my heart started pounding. Suddenly, it stopped in front of the door, and the other two sisters hurried over to stand in front of me, blocking me from view.

Metal against metal rang against the walls of the train car. They were opening the door! What were we going to do when they found us? Would they throw us off the train? Would they ship me off to some lab to be experimented on? Would they kill us on sight?

"All clear, Chief!" a human voice shouted.

We could hear a hand pat the side of the car twice before the train shifted and started moving again. Ever so slowly, we gained speed and left the station. Everyone in the car released a relieved breath. Allephe peeked out of a tiny hole in the side of the car. She said, "…aaaand we're off."

She unlocked the door and shoved it open again.

o.O.0.O.o

"No way!" I shouted, "You cheated!"

Amery laughed as she put her cards back down. "Nope. Just lucky!"

I crossed my arms, not quite ready to believe her yet. The middle witch shuffled the deck again to start another game when suddenly an odd squelching noise erupted out of nowhere.

 _Arggggllrrr…_

It did it again, but much louder this time. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around for the source. And it wasn't long before it happened again.

This time, I traced it back to the strange tingling of my stomach. I looked down just as the noise sounded again, and indeed it was my stomach. My cheeks grew cold and I glued my eyes to the floor. I then realized that I hadn't eaten in roughly a day and a half. Maybe longer, for all I knew.

Amery laughed in my face like the cold-humored person she was, but someone else began rifling through something on the other side of the car. My gaze hadn't left the floor yet when Aliss tapped my shoulder. I glanced up to see that she held her hand out to offer me something.

I blinked. "Tuna? But, wouldn't that turn me into a cannibal?"

Amery snorted. "Are you a tuna, Ed? Do you look like a tuna? Because it's not cannibalism if you're not a tuna."

I glared at her and then looked down at my tail. I saw her point.

"T-Thank you." I said to Aliss, accepting the can.

I just about popped the lid off when she placed a full water bottle and a shaker of salt on the floor in front of me. I glanced up at her and caught her eye. It was a gesture of peace. An apology.

Then I asked, "Um, what's the salt for?"

"'What's the salt for?'" Amery mocked before she burst out laughing.

Aliss shot a glare at her sister before replying, "Well, sirens are saltwater creatures so I figured—"

"Sirens need a certain amount of salt to stay healthy." Allephe finished without looking up from her maps.

"Yeah. That." Aliss mumbled.

I nodded. I sighed after a few seconds, though. "Aliss?"

"Y-Yes?" she replied nervously.

"I don't blame you for anything," I told her sternly, "And I'm not mad at you. We're cool, okay?"

Her face turned a bit red, and her eyes lit up. "Y-You really mean that?"

I gave her a genuine grin. "Of course I mean it."

She choked back what sounded like a sob, her blue eyes bore into mine happily. Suddenly she surged forward and did something I didn't expect: she hugged me. Slightly awkward, and not knowing how to respond, I tentatively hugged her back. She only squeezed me harder.

"Oh thank you!" she cried. "Thank you for understanding."

I narrowed my eyes in contentment and smiled. "No problem."

Breaking up the little love-fest, Amery made a fake gaging noise.

"Get a room, you two." she said.

"SHUT UP, AMERY! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Aliss shouted.

o.O.0.O.o

A few hours later found me gawking at the huge concrete jungle ahead. Buildings and people everywhere. The place was positively swarmed with humans. What would normally frighten the living daylights out of a normal siren, amazed and intrigued me. It lay miles ahead of us, so I had time to stare before Allephe shut the doors.

The whole establishment was built in a circular flow, with everything forming rows pointing towards the center. In that center stood a tall, intimidating structure with what appeared to be a small moat dug around it. The place crawled with humans dressed in blue. They walked with purpose and precision, pacing the flattened rock with firm movements. I envied their ability to move at all in the open air.

I also felt a pocket of empty memory buzz. I'd begun to think it meant nothing, because those pockets kept buzzing at seemingly random times. They buzzed whenever I heard the word "short." They buzzed whenever I combed my hair in the morning. They buzzed when I placed both palms on the floorboards of the train, which was pretty much all the time. And now they were buzzing at cities and train stations. I'd learned to ignore the pestering sensation by now.

I could hear one of the sisters sitting down beside me. This time, when I glanced up, I saw Allephe. She wore a nervous expression as she stared out at the city ahead of us.

A few minutes passed before she said, "I didn't know we'd be crossing through Central. If I knew, I would've picked a different train."

"Central?" I asked.

She looked at me in surprise. "Central. You know— Oh, that's right. You wouldn't know. It's the largest city in Amestris. It's also the headquarters of the military. We'll have to lock the doors extra tight when we get there."

I nodded.

Then she said, "Amery won't be able to make another jump until sometime tonight. I hope they don't check this car at the station."

Genuine worry twisted her features. From her voice, I could tell she was tired. Tired of jumping. Tired of worrying. Tired of being on edge all the time. I felt sorry for her. For all of them. They wouldn't tell me anything about where they were going, or why they needed me to be with them. And I was fine with that, if it meant keeping that certain "someone" alive. But I would've liked to know how long they've been at this, and approximately how long it'll take until they finish whatever it is they're doing.

Before I knew it, we were getting closer to the station, and Allephe was shutting the doors.

o.O.0.O.o

The creature sniffed the air. Mixed scents of people rushing about mingled and teased his nose. He snorted them away and took in another breath. This time, he smelled it. The scent. The incoming train brought his prey closer and closer. The creature stood and paced in anticipation.

The man holding the leash glanced down curiously at the "dog," wondering just what the animal was sensing. Drugs? Meat? Perfume? Unknown to the man holding the leash, his "dog" sensed something entirely different. Something the man would've never hoped to see in all of his thirty some odd years.

The creature curled his lips in a cruel mock-grin. The train released a burst of exhaust as the wheels screeched to a stop against the metal rails. The creature's tail whipped back and forth excitedly, waiting for the perfect moment to ditch the unsuspecting human.

 _Now!_

Suddenly, the creature leaped forward and snapped the chain around his neck. The man yelled, "Huh?! WAIT! KUJO!" The creature ignored the man and shot down the concrete pathway. He weaved through the crowds until he reached the very last car. Quickly, before anyone could spot him, he hopped through the open door. A second creature shut it immediately after.

Lungs burning and heart pounding, the first creature straightened and shifted back into a man's form. He shook out his long green hair and a second grin plastered itself across his face.

"They're five cars ahead of us," he reported, his voice scratchy like before.

"I know," the second creature said, "Do I get to eat the witches this time, Envy?"

Envy grinned wider, taking pleasure in saying his next words.

"Yes, Gluttony. Yes you do."


	14. Chapter 14

Golden Scales Chapter 13

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Aliss's lips quirked up in a small smile. The corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement as she watched the golden creature's chest rise and fall. He had a very nice chest, she noted. Very built and muscular for one so young. His hair and eye color were that of a shade she and her sisters had not seen since the fall of the desert king. How this siren possessed Xerxian ancestry, she did not know. But it amazed her that a creature so magical could be blessed with such a rare heirloom.

And the sound of his voice when he spoke. Positively enchanting. She expected nothing less from a creature literally born to charm others. The point of the siren's voice was to lure humans astray from their paths. Even in a siren as young as Ed, that trait stood out prominent and proud, although she couldn't tell if he was aware of it yet.

However charming and good-looking, this particular siren proved to be quite a pain in the ass. Of course, she did not hold that against him. They did take him away from his family and wiped his slate clean. Aliss's own little slip-up did not help things in the least bit. She still harbored guilt from that, as she probably always would, but it had faded in these past few hours. The siren had decidedly forgiven her, and all was well for the time being.

The young witch sighed. As much as she wanted to complain about Ed being a pain in the ass, she knew he wasn't nearly as troublesome as their last two captives.

They took their first siren from a rinky-dink town off the coast of Aerugo called Grimlock Village. Miss Clairabelle Louise turned into their largest pain in the ass when she literally stabbed Allephe in the back. The townsfolk found them shortly after and hung them from the gallows. Little did they know the witches' curse did not permit such an easy death. They choked for days until Amery managed to burn the nooses.

Aliss's body shuddered in remembrance.

They took their second siren from the brig of Samael's Greed, a trading ship that traced its routes through the South Sea. Marie Harrison had been less than pleased when the witches freed her from the ship only to keep her captive for themselves. She feared the intentions they could not share with her, and she escaped from them with the help of five great white sharks and an orca.

During both kidnappings, Aliss felt awful. She refused to take direct part in the capture, and instead worked to gain their trust afterwards. She'd failed both times, and it only drove the wound deeper. This time, when they took a siren from a tiny little farming town in Amestris, she'd suspected that this one would require a bit more work to convince. When she broke down at the warehouse, she hadn't expected Allephe to eliminate the problem altogether.

Now that they've overcome their previous roadblock, new ones were placing themselves in their path. An endless challenge. No matter what they did to avoid trouble, kidnapping someone would always find a way to bite them in the ass.

But she had to admit, wiping his slate clean was a great idea on Allephe's part. At least then he had nowhere to go back to if he decided to turn against them. Which was unlikely considering Allephe had somehow managed to explain their circumstances without irritating the terms of their curse. Ed somewhat understood them, and miraculously still trusted them after Aliss spilled the beans about the homunculi.

She flicked her eyes away from the void of space and refocused on their almost-willing captive again. The muscles in his face were relaxed, his tail curled up in an adorable cat-like manner. Every now and again his tailfin would flick or twist. His ear-fins twitched thoughtlessly. The siren looked so young and peaceful when he slept.

"You've been staring at him for hours, you know," a voice behind her stated.

Aliss turned around to see Amery grinning at her mockingly. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the sleeping siren.

"I have not," Aliss argued, "I just think he's cute when he sleeps. That's all."

Ed's ear-fin twitched. Amery laughed behind her.

"I never thought I'd hear someone describe a fish as 'cute.' He's hardly a kitten, you know."

Aliss scowled. "Amery, don't you have someone else to pick on? Like Allephe?"

"Hey!" said sister shouted indignantly.

"Na," Amery said, "Allephe's a boring target."

"Thank you! Wait— What?!"

Amery seated herself next to Aliss. A serious expression robbed her face of its usual mischievous glow. "We need to prepare ourselves. I can't jump a far enough distance until tonight. Allephe says she senses the homunculi are closing in now."

Allephe grimly added, "They're close. Like, _on the train_ close. They could show up at any time now."

Alarmed, Aliss squeaked, "B-But… You said they were miles away just a few hours ago! How did they get so here fast?!"

Allephe snarled. "They must've boarded the train when we passed through Central. This is my fault. I picked this stupid train without knowing where it was going. And now we're headed in the opposite direction!"

Ed's ear-fin twitched at the loud shout.

Amery sighed. "Well, we've established what a dumb decision you've made. Now we figure out how to correct it. Any ideas?"

"How about you give us the siren, for starters," said a voice from the door.

The three witches whirled around to see Envy the homunculus, grinning madly, with Gluttony standing behind him.

o.O.0.O.o

Immediately, the witches sprang into action. Allephe jumped to her feet, "walking stick" at the ready. Amery gained proper footing and lit her fists with angry violet fire. Aliss stamped her left foot into the floorboards behind her, quickly wrapping her red beads around her hand. Within three seconds the witches were ready.

Envy snarled and launched himself forward, landing in front of Allephe. Gluttony shot out from behind him and raced towards Amery. With her sisters buying her time, Aliss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calling upon the power of her patron element. Instantly, she felt a familiar tug in her gut as the magic began sapping her energy reserves.

Allephe held the butt of her "stick" aimed for Envy's chest. After many fights between the two, both of them were conscious of each other's combat style. Envy skirted around the range of Allephe's "stick," while Allephe kept the homunculus in her peripheral vision as opposed to looking directly at him. Envy began shifting into a familiar shape, and a familiar voice erupted from his throat, taunts and threats flowed from his mouth in sickly sweet tones.

Amery dodged Gluttony's first charge easily, leaping up and out of the way while the homunculus barreled past. Landing on her feet, she twisted around and sent a column of concentrated flame towards her opponent. Her veins pulsed with effort, and her lungs greedily took in larger amounts of precious oxygen. The oxygen her flames stole from her.

Aliss activated her first spell, a novice enchantment that Amery had yet to fully master. Green smoke poured from the beads and enveloped their sleeping captive. The siren disappeared with the smoke, yet the witch stayed to prepare her next spell. Her energy reserves were depleting at an alarming rate, but she pressed forward anyway. Making an effort to relax her muscles and save her energy, she closed her eyes once more and started reciting her natural mantra.

Seeing an opening, Envy lunged into Allephe's range and delivered a devastating punch to her left shoulder. Allephe swung her "stick" and Envy could not dodge it fast enough. The blunt end slammed into his temple with the force of a speeding truck, knocking him into the far wall. The homunculus slid down the splintered wooden boards and landed on the floor in a crumpled heap, but the red sparks quickly mended the otherwise fatal wound. Allephe took this time her realign her shoulder bones.

Amery had just about finished bull-fighting with Gluttony when suddenly he had had enough of her games. He spun around faster than she could blink and tackled her. The force of the two slamming into the floor broke a few boards, revealing the steel beams and speeding rails beneath the train car. Amery struggled to push Gluttony off, but he was far too heavy. The homunculus grinned and went in for a bite. Panicking, Amery commanded her flames to consume her body. She'd forgotten to take a breath beforehand and nearly suffocated as the flames consumed both of them, sending Gluttony flailing and screaming. Amery gasped as her flames died, painfully filling her lungs with smoke and embers.

Aliss felt the tug in her gut intensify. Sharp stabs of agony bombarded her, sending her hunching over in pain. Yet she held fast to the red beads as the spell began to take effect. She could feel the water in their opponents' blood submit to her will. Twisting her lips and scrunching her nose in concentration, she willed the two creatures to cease all movement, now giving her sisters time to recover. Her energy ran scarily low, and she could feel her limbs beginning to shake with strain.

Just a little longer, she pleaded.

In the time that Aliss bought them, Allephe and Amery had sufficiently regained enough strength for their finishing blows. Amery commanded her ungodly hell-fire to consume Gluttony entirely, wicking away every bit of oxygen in the train car. Allephe used her stick to shove him through the hole in the floor and under the speeding train. Their stomachs churned while Gluttony's tortured screams faded as the rest of the train cars dashed across the tracks. The oxygen outside rushed back in and replenished their supply.

Finally, with a mighty battle cry, Allephe raised her javelin above the false form of their fourth sister. Envy widened Avia's beautiful green eyes. Closing her own eyes, Allephe released the charged thunderbolt from her javelin. Nets and arcs of electricity destroyed Envy's body, frying him from the inside. Envy wailed in Avia's voice, but Allephe did not waver. Using her remaining energy, the eldest sister swung her javelin one last time, sending Envy flying out of the train car. Avia's scream echoed all the way down the ravine below the train tracks, and it finally disappeared as Envy plunged into the rapids.

Amery used the last of her own energy to teleport them out of the ruined train car, and into the next one. Once they arrived next to Ed's still sleeping form, all three sisters collapsed.


	15. Chapter 15

Golden Scales Chapter 15

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Again, she impatiently sighed as she waited for her coworker to pick up the phone. She scrunched her nose in irritation, a bit flustered from the news she'd just received. She knew her coworker would become just as flustered when he heard it himself. It would be the third time she'd had to call him with this same exact piece of information. Surely, they were all fed up with the same delays. Sooner or later, they would have to alter their plans and send in someone with a little more competence.

"Well?" the man answered.

Lust straightened. Then she spat, "They've failed us again, Wrath."

She heard a fair amount of angry cursing on the other end before he finally replied, "They've failed us for the last time. Tell them to return to Headquarters."

Lust rolled her eyes as Wrath's military charisma leaked through. "Yes, sir."

"I'll send Greed to take over for them," he informed, "He will dispose of those pests permanently."

"Yes, sir," Lust agreed.

o.O.0.O.o

I cracked an eyelid open. Then I opened the one underneath after confusedly staring at my blurry environment. Through my still foggy vision, I observed a new train car. The cotton bags were different colors, the walls a bit lighter, and the floor a bit smoother. Both doors were shut and locked. I looked to my left to see my three escorts sleeping in a dog pile on the other side of the car. They looked a little more banged up than I last saw them. I frowned.

Looking a little closer, I noticed scratches and bruises littering Allephe's skin. The white cloth covering her left shoulder was stained with crimson. The fabric was torn in different places, as was the other two sisters' robes. Although Amery's robes sported more scorch marks than tears. The middle sister breathed more erratically than the other two, as if she couldn't get enough air. Aliss's robes were in better shape, but her skin glowed an unhealthy chalk white. Dark rings encircled her eyes.

My own eyes widened. What happened to them?

Carefully, as to not disturb the witches from their slumbers, I slithered down from my nest of cotton bags. Conducting myself in a prone position, I dragged myself across the floor. My belly scales scraped the boards with minimal noise as I worked my way over to the dog pile. The closer I got, the more detail I could see. And I didn't like what I saw when I stopped in front of them.

Even from my lower vantage point on the floor, I could tell something was definitely wrong. They all looked exhausted. And hurt. I scrunched my nose in anger. What the hell happened? Who did this to them?!

Before I could delve further down that train of thought, a low groan slipped past one of the sisters' lips. My eyes snapped back to the dog pile, and I saw Amery shift her head to the side. Her arm wrapped itself around Aliss before she continued her slumber. The movement caused one of Aliss's blue eyes to crack open slightly. She too let out a groan, but this sister levered herself into a strained sitting position.

My ear-fins perked up slightly, I extended my webbed hand. Carefully choosing a patch of skin that sported no bruises or wounds, I tapped Aliss's ankle to grasp her attention. Her eyes flicked tiredly to me and she blinked.

"Aliss?" I asked gently, "Aliss, are you alright? What happened to you?"

She mumbled something incoherent before rubbing her eyes. I waited a full minute until she blinked the slime out of her eyes and mumbled,

"Ed? Wha— what ha-appened…?"

My shoulders dropped in surprise. "T-That's what _I'm_ trying to figure out."

A delayed frown crept across her lips. Then her expression cleared.

"Oh yeah…" she said, mostly to herself.

Aliss rubbed her face with her hands before stretching and leaning back against the wall.

"Oh yeah what?" I pressed patiently.

Aliss blinked slowly and sighed. "The homunculi caught up to us last night."

Her voice was ragged and resembled a frog's croak. A tendril of guilt pierced my stomach. "I-I should've been awake… I could've helped."

An exhausted laugh attempted to leave her lips, but it came out more like a cough. "No… You can't fight them, Ed. And they wouldn't have hurt you, anyway. They need you alive."

I scrunched my nose in anger. Again. "I can fight. I know I can. Wake me up next time, and you'll see."

This time, the laugh escaped her lips untampered. "Maybe underwater you can, but out here in the open air? You don't stand a chance."

"I don't care," I growled, "I'll find a way to fight. I'm not letting them hurt you like this again. I'm tired of being so useless. I want to help."

"You're already helping us."

I paused. "What?"

"By just being what you are," she explained, "Just being a siren is helping us. You don't need to do anything else. Don't worry about us. We're strong enough to take care of ourselves."

I mulled over that thought. I wasn't quite ready to believe her, but I did understand what she told me. I understood that I couldn't do much, being the way I was. I stole a quick glance back at my rueful tail. Beautiful, but positively worthless above water. A pressured sigh rushed out of my thin nostrils. Unexpectedly, trails of mucus followed the air out. I wiped the snot away, but not before Aliss could giggle in amusement. I quirked a sideways smile despite myself.

After a while, I said, "Alright. But can you at least wake me up next time?"

A little more awake now, she laughed. "Very well."

o.O.0.O.o

A few hours later brought them to North City.

"If we don't jump soon," Allephe grumbled, "It'll take us months to get to the South Sea."

"And we still have to cross through Aerugo," Amery added, picking at her fingernails absently.

Aliss frowned. "Well, we could stop for a day and rest. The homunculi are too far behind to catch up to us in a day."

Her sisters mumbled in agreement. All of them were exhausted. Even the mystical Amery couldn't hide her fatigue. "Yeah. I suppose you're right. I can jump far enough to take us a few miles outside the city. But we'll have to go on foot from there."

Amery shot an odd glance at me. "And I don't know about you guys, but I really don't feel like carrying the hundred-pound-fish that far."

I glared menacingly at the red-eyed sister. "I'm right here, you know."

"Yes, I know."

My webbed hand curled into a fist, but before I could do anything, Allephe sighed.

"We'll take turns, Amery," she concluded, "And that sounds like a plan. We should pack up before we pass through the next station."

The sisters, plus me, nodded in agreement.

My escorts dispersed to carry out their tasks, and I turned around to survey the train car. I then realized that I had nothing to pack: the witches hadn't taken anything besides me when they visited Resembool. Another stab of regret pierced me. Just another reminder that I still had no idea who my family was, and that I possessed no mementos to help me remember.

I sighed and proceeded to drag myself over to my cotton bags, where I splayed myself as I waited for the witches to finish packing.

o.O.0.O.o

I filled my lungs with cool summer air, fully outside of a train car for the first time since waking up a few days ago. My senses seemed to awaken from a long hibernation, now thriving on the new and fresh stimulation. I closed my eyes and released a quiet breath. The gentle breeze, like a current, tickled my scales, causing my ear-fins to flick happily. The sounds of nature penetrated my eardrums with bliss. Soon I found myself mimicking the birds' songs with soft humming.

Then Amery grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

A startled shriek slipped past my lips while she did this. I could feel her laugh through the tremors in her back and shoulder. I growled as she adjusted my weight and marched forward to follow her sisters. And I was stuck with the view behind us, fading away as the distance grew.

Little by little, the anger from Amery's actions faded along with the view. Once I could no longer see the train tracks, I could fully appreciate the beauty of the forest trail. Just like before, the trees formed lush green canopies. The leaves blocked out the oppressive sunlight, save for the speckled rays that shifted and swayed in the wind.

I heaved another sigh. I adjusted my arms to rest a little more comfortably across Amery's back. I let my tail hang limp since there was pretty much nothing I could do with it at the moment. Resting my head in my crossed arms, I listened to the relaxing sounds of the woods.

Before I knew it, Amery was transferring me to Allephe's grasp, who held me with a little more dignity. Allephe grunted as she adjusted my weight. She carried me bridal-style so I could see ahead of us instead of behind. But by then I was too fatigued to properly enjoy the change in hands. I fell asleep almost instantly, letting the soft melodies of the birds above us sooth me into a peaceful slumber.

Only an hour or so passed before Allephe shook me awake.

I tiredly lifted my head. There, across a river, sat a modest cabin. The wood panels of the right side baked in the sunlight, while the left cooled in the darkened shade of towering oak trees. A bright blue-painted door hung proudly on bronze hinges. The shutters sported an identical blue shade with identical bronze hinges. Dust caked the windows, leaves littered the gutters, and the beams were twisted and cracked with age. It was perfect.

Perfectly abandoned, which was all we could've asked for.

What really caught my attention though, was the scenery around the cabin. Or more pointedly: the river. The cabin itself stood at the bottom of a steep slope. At the top of that slope, water gushed down the side and dumped into a pool connected to the river below. It was the perfect swimming hole, and I yearned for a long, relaxing swim.

Before any of the witches could take another step, Allephe said,

"Wait."

Her other two sisters and I stared at her in confusion. She narrowed her eyes at the cabin.

"I sense something," she whispered, "It's alive."

Then, scaring the living daylights out of all of us, a coyote stumbled out of the brush, lone and sickly-looking. Amery took a step, but Allephe stopped her from walking any further.

"Don't," she advised, "It's rabid. Wait for it to leave on its own."

My heart pounding a bit faster, I tightened my grip on Allephe's shoulder. In a comforting gesture, she tightened her grip on me as well. Three minutes crept by before it stumbled to the other side of the woods and disappeared behind the brush. Allephe released a quiet sigh.

"Slowly," she instructed, "Very slowly, and quietly, walk to the cabin. When you open the door, jerk it open as fast as you can, get inside, and shut it. Ready?"

We nodded.

"One… two… three!"


	16. Chapter 16

Golden Scales Chapter 16

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I rested on the rug in front of the fire, soaking up the blissful warmth. My escorts splayed themselves on the furniture around me, but I was more than happy to occupy the floor. It was as close to the fire as I could get. The warmth sank through my chilled blood and into my bones. I was in absolute heaven.

I sighed happily from my place on the floor, while the three sisters snoozed on worn upholstery. The only sister that actually slept was Amery. Although, with their narrowed slits, Aliss and Allephe might as well have been sleeping.

I spread myself out on the carpet, stretching my muscles and extending my arms and tail as far as they would go. It felt amazing not being crammed in that bumpy train car anymore. Finally, I could lay on a solid, motionless floor. For the last few days, it was all I knew. But now I could see just how much I hated that train.

Suddenly, Aliss mumbled something incoherent.

"What?" Allephe croaked.

"I said," Aliss repeated, "Our supplies are running low. We'll need to make a run soon."

Allephe groaned. "Oh yeah…"

I mulled over that. During all this time, my least concern was food. I'd only gotten hungry once or twice. And after eating, I was good for a while. Like, _days later_ a while. Now that I thought more about it, I realized that the witches probably didn't have the same scarce appetite as I did. They probably required three meals a day like normal people. And to think they'd been living off of cans of tuna and crackers this whole time… It made my stomach twist with guilt. Yet again, I was useless. I couldn't do anything to help them, not even simple tasks like grocery shopping. I couldn't contribute anything to their efforts, and they'd been taking care of me on top of everything else. Making sure I was fat and happy.

It made me sick. I hated this. I needed to find a way to make it up to them. I needed to do something for them in return, after all they've done for me. I still had no idea who I was or what I was like before my amnesia, but I'd be dammed if I'd ever let something like this slide.

My brain kicked into over-drive. I searched the depths of my mind for answers, willing myself to come up with something, anything really.

And a few minutes later, I possessed satisfactory fruit of my efforts. I tried to hide the small, prideful smile as I looked up at Allephe and told her with confidence,

"Leave that to me."

The eldest sister quirked a brow and replied, "Come again?"

"Leave that to me," I repeated solidly, "I can get us fish, if you'll let me."

At the moment, it seemed like a great idea. I figured my natural aquatic instincts would kick in and I'd have dinner caught in no time. I felt pretty good about my idea until Allephe shot me down.

"I don't think we should risk it, Ed," she argued lazily, "No offense, but we just don't know how good of a swimmer you are. I know you're a siren, but you could've forgotten. And I don't want to risk losing you to the river current. None of us can swim, you know."

"Ooo," Amery mumbled, now awake, "Someone go get some _ice_ for that burn…"

Aliss glared at her. "Will you keep your two cenz to yourself? And I think that's a great idea, Allephe. It'll be good practice for him for when we reach the South Sea."

The elder sister didn't look convinced. Her expression changed many times as she pondered the thought. Five minutes passed and I had begun to think she fell asleep. Then finally she delivered her final verdict.

"Fine," she sighed, "But you're in charge of babysitting him."

I scowled at the last comment, but then I shared a glance with Aliss and grinned.

o.O.0.O.o

As soon as Aliss stepped over the threshold, my nostrils filled themselves with the scent of clay. Again, it seemed my senses had awakened from a long slumber. My spirit relished in the sound of rushing water. The froth of the rapids sang to me in seductive melodies, luring my soul closer and closer to the heart of the pool.

Aliss carried me at a snail's pace. Being the youngest of the three sisters, she did not possess the same strength as her elders. Therefore, her arms shook under the strain. But I could hardly afford to feel distrustful towards Aliss's grasp. Their eldest, reluctant sister only agreed on this by a slim margin.

Nonetheless, with each clumsy, nerve-racking step, Aliss's weak hold brought me closer to water. Something I'd dreamt about in my unconscious mind since my awakening. My soul yearned for the chance to move naturally again. And I would take any opportunity to exploit that chance.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Aliss knelt by the river shore and shakily set me on the grass next to her. My heart pounded. I could almost taste the weightlessness. Despite my strong want to just go ahead and dive in, I stayed to listen to what Aliss had to say.

"Okay," she started breathlessly, "I'll wait here. And here, take this with you."

She handed me a large-ish wicker basket. It had a long shoulder strap, and a lid fastening the rim. I remembered seeing it as we entered the cabin. I gave her a thankful smile as I accepted it.

Heaving a slightly relieved sigh, I slithered over to the edge of the river. Not even stopping to take in my reflection for the first time, I took a deep breath and slipped into the water.

o.O.0.O.o

His heels clicked on the polished tile floors as he made his way down the darkened hallway. His uniform prim and pressed to perfection. A perpetual scowl twisted his would-be handsome features. He walked with impeccable firmness and purpose, yet his steps were deliberately harsher than protocol. He held himself in such a way that radiated power and unbiased anger.

The man halted before a single door. His one icy eye scanned the structure critically. Little squares and rectangles marred the surface at the bottom, hinting its poor fabrication. Had he been in charge of creating the pathway, the door might've looked less like a toddler constructed it. He sneered at the less-than-perfect-craftsmanship, but twisted the handle nonetheless.

Without so much as a blink, he continued down the stairs at a leisurely yet directive pace.

He didn't much care for where he headed. His only real motive would be the opportunity to chew out a couple of irresponsible allies for their consistent failures. That and to send out a proper replacement.

Three times now, they went through the same procedures. Their plans had shifted to conform to the unusual circumstances, yet each time the slippery little creature slithered through their fingers.

The first instance they were forced to wait, for none of the homunculi could remove automail without killing the subject. And even when the offending metal appendage was safely removed, those wenches made their first appearance and started a long laundry list of problems.

The second instance they'd successfully captured the siren with little issues. But before they could carry out Father's plan, those same wenches stole the creature from right under their noses. An impressive maneuver, Wrath admitted.

Finally, they were forced to wait again as their current siren's human companion rid it of the harmful metal limbs. For the third and final time, those two imbeciles failed to take back their captive, and the witches once again snatched the siren away for their own purposes.

A low growl rumbled deep within his throat. The only thing that could relieve his wrath now was standing over the conquered corpses of those witches. He wanted them dead at his feet. And even more so, he wanted to follow through and complete this century old process. With each failed attempt, they would have to wait months for the perfect lunar alignment to repeat itself. Even so, the last three times each siren managed to escape to the sea, never to be seen again, and they'd have to wait until a new siren was deposited on land where they could reach one. Of course, they had all of the time in the world, but one does become quite fatigued after decades upon decades of repetition.

Wrath was determined to break that repetition by eliminating their most problematic obstacle. And so when Wrath reached the bottom of the stairs, he paused. A thinner man leaned against the far wall, chatting leisurely with his pet humans. Wrath set his scowl and marched forward, formulating the man's new orders in his mind as he did.

o.O.0.O.o

Cool water washed over my parched scales. The flow of natural energy enriched my muscles, commanding them with grace and power. A valve in my throat shut automatically as those ridges on the sides of my neck opened themselves. Sensory information poured from both old and new places as the water revitalized my newly hatched form. My long, long hair strands obeyed my willful commands and fanned themselves out to detect hidden details of my environment.

My clear eyelids shut to protect my eyes, but they yielded no fog frame in my vision. In fact, I could now see a bit better than before. The shapes in the darker depths became more crisp and prominent.

A wide grin spread across my lips as I twisted around to see the turbulent rapids fade into the pool's current. The bed of the river here was deep and spacious with distorted speckles of shifting light dancing across the rocky walls. Cavities were carved in between the large jagged stones, creating a series of caves that housed small crustaceans. Groups of tiny fish –minnows– darted around in all directions.

Before I could fully take in all of the beauty that the riverbed had to offer, I looked down and noticed that my tailfin had already began swaying in the water to keep me aloft. My arms were outstretched, and my long, webbed fingers spread apart to give me maximum fin surface area. My gills were regulating my breathing rate like I'd been breathing underwater my entire life.

I couldn't help it. I had to.

Acting on my sudden impulses, I expressed my euphoria in the only manner I knew how to: I launched myself to the surface, performed a flip in midair, and dove back into the water. From under the waves, I could hear Aliss's laugh on the shore.

All jesting aside, after I'd gotten the overwhelming glee out of my system, I focused back on my task of fishing. I let myself sink to the bottom and I scanned the rock caves for life. My hair picked up subtle vibrations from movement and current changes, and I sensed lots of life along the walls of the riverbed.


	17. Chapter 17

Golden Scales Chapter 17

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

"So…" Amery started, "How did you kill these fish, Ed?"

She glanced over to see the siren lower his head in what looked like shame. He'd been avoiding everyone's gaze since he pulled himself out of the river. Even though he came back with a full basket of salmon and cute little crustaceans, he refused to say anything about how he managed to catch and kill them. In fact, he'd been quiet since Aliss brought him back inside.

When Aliss did bring him inside, Amery noticed an odd gleam in the siren's eyes. It looked suspiciously similar to a mixture of pity, guilt, and absolute horror. Although, it appeared as though the siren was more horrified with himself than anything else. Or more pointedly: his actions.

Amery immediately began theorizing that since this was the siren's first time actually killing something, that of course he'd be a bit jarred afterwards. However, she tossed that theory when she noticed just how full that basket was. If the siren had the guts to kill that many fish, the fact that he actually killed them wouldn't be bothering him this much. No, it was something different. Something a little more geared towards himself. Perhaps he was terrified of his own capabilities. Amery knew second-hand from Allephe just how brutal and nasty those creatures can be. Which brought her to the question she'd just asked him.

He appeared less than willing to answer said question.

Apparently, Allephe was thinking along the same lines as she, because right then she asked,

"Ed? Are you okay? What happened down there?"

Her gentle tone was not enough to even earn her a glance. But then Aliss frowned and coaxed in a soft, soothing tone,

"It's okay, Ed. You can tell us. We've seen and heard worse things, I'm sure."

Finally, Ed raised his head a little and shared a glance with their second youngest sister. He released a ragged sigh. "I-I… I s-shocked them."

Allephe nodded, but Amery and Aliss furrowed their brows in confusion.

"What do you mean 'shocked them'?" Aliss asked.

His gaze fell to the wooden surface of the table again. "I-I don't know. I p-pulled some kind of muscle… and then I saw lightning. They died instantly. They burned."

Amery caught a glimpse of liquid pooling in his left bottom eyelid. The opaque eyelid. His beautiful golden irises then flicked to Allephe after she cleared her throat.

"Look, Ed," she began, taking a generous bite of her smoked salmon, "That's just how sirens are. That's how they kill. That muscle is perfectly normal, and you've done nothing wrong. You used it to get food. You shouldn't be ashamed."

The siren nodded slowly, but he didn't look convinced. Amery figured he'd be jarred by this for a while. The best thing for him right then was a full meal and a good night's rest.

"I suggest you eat up, fish-boy," she told him, "We're hitting the road again tomorrow, and we'll need a fresh supply of fish to keep us going long enough to reach Central again."

Ed's golden scales only permitted a minuscule amount of color change, but Amery noticed them turning a deeper shade of gold after hearing that. Nonetheless, Ed looked up at her and nodded again before tentatively picking up his fork again.

Amery sighed. This was going to be a long night.

o.O.0.O.o

As one might expect, I did not sleep that night. I tossed and turned, tried distracting myself with humming, and even rolled off the side of the bed in an attempt to slither away from my own thoughts. Being alone in the room without assistance, I laid on the floor for the rest of the night. And surprisingly, the solid, firm surface of the boards actually helped me calm down. The hard and unmoving floor felt cold and reassuring against my curled spine.

Never, in all of my five days of memory, had I been so disgusted with myself. It wasn't even the fact that I'd practically killed the entire pool, it was _how_ I killed the entire pool. That had been the only reason I'd gotten so many fish in the first place. The electricity fried everything within ten feet of myself. If nothing else, that muscle was excellent for ranged defense. But for anything else, it didn't feel fair. It wasn't fair that I could do that when the fish in the river had no way of fighting back or defending themselves.

Of course, I'd figured that since sirens don't typically live in freshwater rivers the fish there wouldn't have to worry about things like that. Sirens were saltwater creatures, meant for vast oceans and more challenging prey. That notion acted like a balm to my worries.

I sighed and remembered Allephe's little speech at dinner. I knew somewhere at the back of my mind that she was right. I knew that I had a just cause to kill all of those fish. We all might've starved if I didn't. And that's how I chose to view my terrible crime: an exchange. The lives of the river fish for ours. Their deaths were not spent in vain. Because of them, four other creatures could live on.

Suddenly, something happened. In a moment of déjà vu, a pocket of empty memory buzzed. I narrowed my eyes. What the hell did that stupid buzzing mean? Why did it come up at the most random moments? Maybe it meant I was tired? Or maybe my mind was just continuously trying to recover my memories.

I folded my arms underneath myself and released a slow breath. I began to daydream about what my family might've been like. I had both parents, I assumed, and maybe a few siblings. Perhaps I even had a couple of friends in Resembool. Or maybe we didn't live in Resembool at all, and we were just visiting when the witches found me. My lips quirked in a small smile. Maybe we lived somewhere in the South Sea. Maybe I'd find them when we got there.

I wondered what the witches planned on doing with me once we reached the South Sea. From the way Aliss acted around me, I couldn't be sure, but I knew one thing: they weren't going to hurt me. If they were, Aliss would've been radiating remorse and guilt. She was possibly the most sympathetic person I'd met since waking up. There was absolutely no way she could've not given it away by now. That being said, I couldn't help but speculate what they wanted from me.

Whatever it was, it was important to them. Aliss made it crystal clear that they wouldn't have kidnapped me and taken me away from my family otherwise. Whatever they were going to do, it was definitely for a righteous and just cause. Perhaps even I would benefit from what they were planning.

I wondered many times why they could not tell me. Allephe had skirted around the idea that if they did someone close to them would die. After she'd told me that, I kept my eyes peeled for spies because how else would that work? There had to be someone on the other side. An enemy sending spies to watch what the witches said. Or maybe there wasn't even others involved. It could've been a curse of some sort for all I knew.

I furrowed my brow. That sounded pretty legitimate, actually. And that would work a lot more efficiently than spies. One little word and magic would take care of the rest. That had to be it. But then, what did this curse want the witches to do? It was controlling them, making them kidnap amnesic sirens and traveling halfway around the world whilst avoiding the military and the homunculi. Or maybe the curse was a punishment of some sort, and the witches were trying to break it.

But a punishment for what?

Whatever it is they did, it seemed like they were on a search for forgiveness, compensation, or restoration. Maybe they were both looking to break their curse and release this "someone" from collateral.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I grinned at my brilliant theory. I must've been a total genius before my amnesia! Heck, I was a total genius now!

An even larger grin plastered itself across my lips as my ego swelled. And on that last thrilling note, I was released from my earlier guilt. I'd practically achieved enlightenment. I shifted onto my other side and began drifting off, still smiling from my relieving revelations.

o.O.0.O.o

After Aliss was positive that everyone had fallen asleep, she splashed a cup of water to put out the fire. Wiping the excess moisture off her tattered robes, she picked the cup up and placed it on the counter. The young witch heaved an exhausted sigh as she made her way down the hall and into her sisters' shared bedroom. On her way there, she snuck a glance inside Ed's room and noticed that the siren was sawing logs already.

Once she arrived at her bedside, she reached her hand in between her cleavage (albeit small cleavage) and pulled out a small clam shell tied with black twine. She examined the shell with a critical eye, scanning its surface for any cracks, dents, or scratches. Luckily, it was perfectly intact. It was the only thing maintaining Ed's trust in them. If not for that tiny clam shell, who knows how Ed's kidnapping would've turned out?

The small pink fossil acted as a vessel for the siren's memories. Aliss hated being the one that had to carry it around, but Allephe insisted.

"If you're so worried about it getting lost, then why don't _you_ keep it?"

Aliss was worried about it getting lost or broken. But she hadn't volunteered to watch it herself. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

Nonetheless, she kept it safe thus far. And making sure it stayed safe while she slept in this unfamiliar room, she carefully placed the pendant at the bottom of the top drawer in the side dresser. She even buried it under a few of her robes for good measure. Satisfied with her work, Aliss nodded to herself and slipped under the covers.

While she winded down, she thought about their goal, and daydreamed of the moment they finally achieved it. She pictured their beautiful little sister moving and animate for the first time in centuries. Aliss pictured Avia's exquisitely green irises open and alive, followed by that cheeky grin she shared with Amery and their long deceased father. Aliss pictured the moment Ed handed them the Moon Stone, when Allephe would use it to lift their curse and melt Avia's frozen coffin.

At least, Aliss hoped it would be Ed handing them the Moon Stone. She sincerely hoped that this siren would be their last. She also hoped that someday they could defeat those retched homunculi with Avia there to help them. Aliss imagined all four elements at work: Allephe's wind, Amery's fire, her water, and Avia's earth. All together, they might be powerful enough to defeat the homunculi and stop this Father person from taking over the world. Maybe they'd even have a little help from Ed, if he would be willing to stay with them that long.

Slowly, Aliss drifted off to her dreamscape with sweet thoughts of the future in mind.

o.O.0.O.o

"Come on, Aliss," a voice shouted, "Wake up! We gotta go!"

"Hmmm— w-what…?" she croaked sleepily.

Suddenly, Amery's face sharpened into view. "Everything's packed and ready! Allephe found a southbound train nearby. We have to start walking now if we want to catch it!"

Before Aliss could make sense of her sister's jumbled words, said sister ripped the covers off of her and started pulling her off the bed. Aliss's eyes shot open, suddenly awake.

"Up up up, sleepyhead!" Amery commanded, "Let's go!"

Stifling a yawn Aliss responded, "Alright alright, I'm up!"

Immediately, Aliss slipped on her shoes and threw on her robe. Following her sister out the door, she scrambled to fasten the robe shut, still trying to gain her wits from her dead sleep.

Unknown to her, she'd left the room without so much as thinking about what she hadn't already packed the night before. Had she been thinking clearly before her sister shoved her out the door, she would've remembered a very important pendant that still laid safely tucked in the top drawer of the side dresser.


	18. Chapter 18

Golden Scales Chapter 18

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I was getting tired of this. All of this moving around, that is. What I wouldn't give to have been able to stay at that cabin forever. I understood that we had to keep moving, but I also understood that I wasn't built for land travel. I began noticing sores in various places a few hours ago. Sores which were located unsurprisingly along my waist, underneath my hips, my sides, and my arms. Those were the spots that rubbed against the witches when either of them were carrying me.

Of course, I had no right to complain as much as I did. After all, the witches were getting the blunt of those sores since they had skin and I had scales. It was safe to say that all of this moving around quickly became miserable for all of us.

Apparently, Amery was thinking along the same lines as me, because just then she growled and spat, "That's it! I'm done with this!"

A strong thrill of fear raced through me as she dropped me. I fell to the ground with a painful plop, and I twisted around to shoot her a glare as I rubbed my now bruised bottom.

"Amery!" Aliss shouted.

The middle sister ignored her and began ruffling through her bag.

"We can't be making these little stops every ten minutes, Amery!" Allephe scorned, "We're going to miss the train at this rate!"

Amery rolled her eyes as she continued to search her bag. "It'll only take a second, Allephe. Relax."

Faster than I could process it, Amery laid out a small blanket, threw me onto it, and once again hoisted me over her shoulder.

"Will you STOP THAT?!" I shouted angrily, "I'm not a rag-doll that you can just throw around! You're going to give me a concussion!"

Amery snorted. "That's not a bad idea."

I choked indignantly. Before I could think of a proper come back, the witches were off again and I was left with the fading view behind us once more. I could hear the witches arguing, but I decidedly left them alone to it. I heaved a large sigh and settled into the new blanket that lubricated the rubbing between me and my carrier. It was soft and clean, but worn. Its washed-out cobalt color sent another pocket of memory buzzing, but I barely noticed it.

I folded my arms and rested my head against them. I stared absently at the passing forest floor. How much longer would this go on? When would we reach the South Sea? Even though I'd only been with the witches for less than a week, I felt as if I'd traveled with them for years. At least, that's what my body felt like. I wished they could just teleport us there with that weird green smoke. I wished the homunculi would stop chasing us around. But most of all, I wished I could go back home. Even if I didn't remember them, I'd rather be with my family than moving from place to place. I wanted to stay put.

Although, over the past several days, I'd gotten used to the witches. They told me all they could, they fought for me, and they took care of me. They acted like family towards me more than anything else. That was something I generally wouldn't have expected from three people with a not-so-secret agenda. The witches went above and beyond the role of kidnappers/saviors. I respected them for that.

Even so, that primal instinct kicked in every time I felt myself grow close to them. The instinct that told me to distance myself, to be suspicious despite the witches' harmless appearance. And I still knew better than to ignore that instinct.

Another twenty minutes would pass before I finally dozed off.

o.O.0.O.o

Aliss threw a glance over her shoulder and noticed that their siren had fallen asleep despite the uncomfortable-looking position Amery held him in. Silently, with a small flick of her finger, she shot an arrow of black smoke towards him. When it found its target, a black silhouette covered Ed momentarily, before sinking into his scales and disappearing. Now he would sleep undisturbed. And now they could talk without worrying about him eavesdropping.

Aliss nodded to Allephe, and the eldest sister began,

"Well, I think this worked out rather well."

Amery added, "I'll say. Much better than the last two. Why didn't we think of this the first time?"

Aliss scrunched her nose in slight guilt. "I still don't know about this, guys… I feel like we've stolen too much from him."

"It was necessary," Allephe reasoned, "If we hadn't done it, he would've never trusted us to begin with. In order for this to work, we need that trust."

"I know… but… I just don't like this."

"I told you you wouldn't." she reminded her.

"Well," Amery said sharply, "I think this was a great idea. He's less of a pain in the ass. Personally, I like that about this one."

Aliss lowered her gaze. "Yeah… But still. We will give his memories back eventually, right?"

Allephe smiled. "Of course. When Avia is free, we'll break the shell and let him think he remembered on his own."

Aliss nodded numbly, a bit comforted by that. After all of her daydreaming about the future, the images appeared less and less impossible. Now that they had a shaky trust with their captive, they might be able to finally pull it off. Although, she knew that their earlier encounter with Envy and Gluttony would not be their last. She knew the homunculi would continue to go after them. All three sisters knew that. But they also knew that they were barely powerful enough to fend off two of them, much less defeat all seven and then their creator. They needed help. Help that they could not find even after three centuries of traveling and meeting new people.

Well, there was one person, but… no. Just no.

Aliss sighed. The next time the homunculi chose to go in for an attack, she wasn't sure if she and her sisters would be able to fend them off again. Aliss's reserves had shrunken over the last few centuries. Amery's skills in teleportation were waning. Allephe's patron harbored less and less favor for her with each fight. Their power was dwindling, and the homunculi only seemed to gain power as time went on.

Many times, the sisters had considered a mass jump. Something that would teleport them all the way to west Aerugo. But the spell came with a steep cost. Even with all three of them casting their power together, the spell would drain them for weeks, putting each of them into a comatose state until their reserves were replenished enough for functional consciousness. The witches couldn't afford to be out of commission for weeks on end while leaving their siren to defend them and himself.

No. This had to be done the hard way.

Before Aliss could delve any deeper into her thoughts, Allephe came to a sudden halt. She held out her arms in her silent gesture for "wait." Aliss traced Allephe's gaze to the clearing up ahead. To her, it looked like just a bunch of rocks. But when she squinted she noticed strange markings carved into their unnaturally flat surfaces. She glanced up at Allephe to see an expression of suspicion robbing it of its usual calm.

"I sense magic," Allephe whispered.

Amery narrowed her eyes at the tall stones. "They're just rocks. Why are we stopping?"

"The magic they hold is not the same as ours. It's newer. Almost… alchemical."

Aliss's brow furrowed in confusion. Alchemical? What did she mean by that? Were those alchemy runes carved into the rocks? Even if they were, why were they stopping? They've encountered countless rune-carved rocks in the past. Why were these ones something to reckon?

Unfortunately, Aliss got her answer a mere five seconds later.

Suddenly, something black whooshed past the entrance of the clearing, missing the sisters by inches. It moved too fast for Aliss's eyes to track. Instantly, her heart picked up its pace. It began to pound in her ears by the time the thing sped past them again, this time cutting it even closer.

Allephe spread her arms and pushed her sisters back into the trail. She set her left foot behind her and lifted the other end of her walking stick into a combat position. Taking their sister's cue, Aliss wrapped her beads around her hand, and Amery teleported Ed into the bough of a nearby tree. Then she lit her fists with violet fire, already breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen.

The sisters stood in wait for the black figure to come back, but it never did. It shifted across the clearing and sank back into one of the stones. The witches knew better than to lower their guard, and that instinct saved them as the next attacker went in for the kill.

A startled grunt echoed off the rocks as Allephe sank the end of her stick into the man's chest.

o.O.0.O.o

Allephe's eye widened in horror as familiar black metal rushed across the man's skin. It spread to cover every exposed inch of his body. Stripes of red banded his shielded form. The man hunched over in what looked like pain, but the eldest sister knew all too well that a stab to the heart was the equivalent of an annoying pin needle poke to him. The homunculus slowly raised his head and grinned.

"Nice seeing you again, Doll." Greed greeted casually.

At hearing his nickname for her, Allephe's temper flared up. She snapped her jaw shut and bared her teeth as she drove her javelin deeper into his torso. The homunculus just laughed, clear fluid spilling from his lips as his lungs filled with whatever replaced his blood.

"C-Come on, Doll," he choked, "Do-n't be l-like that…"

Greed wrapped his fingers around the shaft of her javelin and yanked it out. Immediately, red sparks came to heal the wound, and his metal shield closed over it. He stood and attempted to speak again, but Allephe was in no mood for a leisurely chat.

Allephe swung her javelin and nearly conked Greed on the head, but the sly bastard dodged it. The witch growled in anger as she shot a kick towards his shin. Greed jumped back a few yards and slid in the dirt before righting himself.

"What," he spoke, "No warm welcome for good ole' Papa Bear?"

This time, all three witches snapped in rage. The sisters charged towards him blindly. However, they were only halfway across the clearing before Greed reached out and touched one of the tall rocks. Grinding to a sudden halt, the sisters stumbled over each other as they watched hundreds of shadow creatures answer Greed's call. The creatures, surprisingly, did not move to rip out their throats just yet. It seemed they were awaiting Greed's command.

"Look here, Doll," he said, addressing Allephe, "I think I'll let you off the hook today. Wrath wants me to bring back your corpses, but I'm feeling a bit lazy, you see. Hand over the siren without a fuss, and I'll let you live. Fair enough?"

As the homunculus spoke, he strolled towards them casually, his black hell-mutts at his heels. Allephe eyed the beasts wearily as they stalked closer with their master. What she wouldn't give to have a few of those in her arsenal. She shook her head and spat back in reply,

"Forget it, Greed! We won't help you! We need that stone more than you ever will!"

The homunculus heaved a dramatic sigh before deciding, "Very well. You can't say I didn't offer you a better deal."

Suddenly, he lifted his hand in a familiar gesture. Allephe gasped as she realized what he was about to do. She could do nothing but tense her muscles and prepare to run as a small snap resonated in her ears.

Taking Greed's cue, about one hundred hell-mutts surged forward.


	19. Chapter 19

Golden Scales Chapter 19

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Time seemed to slow to a crawl in that moment. Allephe's pounding heart drowned out any noise. She could feel her blood coursing through her veins, and the oxygen burning her lungs. By some miracle, her muscles have not given up on her yet. It felt as if they'd been sprinting for hours. She could barely see herself drag her sisters to safety as they leaped over fallen logs and weaved through thorn-riddled thickets. Her body switched to autopilot the moment Greed snapped his fingers.

Almost in slow motion, Allephe whipped her head around to see about ten hell-mutts weaving through the thickets with ease. A few of them leaped over the spiked mess entirely, and took to hopping between the low tree boughs. One of them kept pace right behind Allephe's ankles, and had more than once lunged forward to bite. The elder witch survived the infectious snap by a slim margin, each time slimmer than the last.

The hell-mutts were slowly gaining on them. And they were slowly losing stamina.

Amery would lose stamina quicker than her and Aliss, for she was the one who'd remembered to retrieve their siren before they took off. Allephe could only imagine the strain her sister's vessel was enduring at the moment. Her pale cheeks glowed flush red. Her arms shook. Her chest heaved erratically. Yet, still she pressed forward.

Allephe turned her attention back in front of them. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of what lied up ahead: a cliff. Analyzing the area, she spotted a group of boulders skirting the edge. Quickly, she took hold of her sisters and steered them into the cavity facing the ledge.

Three hell-mutts over-shot their halt and slid over the edge, but the rest stopped in time to save themselves. Allephe could hear her sisters' labored breathing next to her in the background as she listened to the hell-mutts' movements. Allephe shut her eyes and concentrated on the beasts prowling the cliff's edge. She knew that they relied on their keen other-worldly vision for the most part. They could only hear sound above a certain decibel range. They would be safe. For the moment.

Between gasps of unsteady breath, Allephe spoke, "Okay guys… time for Plan B."

Through her exhausted fuzz-framed vision, she saw her sisters' shoulders drop in defeat. This was it. Their last ditch-effort to make it to the South Sea. They couldn't screw around hopping from train to train anymore. All three of them knew that they were no match for Greed and his shadow beasts.

The three witches were physically drained from running, but they pulled themselves together and clasped hands anyway. Amery carefully laid the siren across her lap, making sure her elbow was touching him to keep a bridge of contact for teleportation.

They formed a hasty circle and began to chant in two tongues, their eyes glowing white with power. However, after Amery looked down at Ed one last time, she noticed something that nearly caused her to break their sync. In her mind, she gasped as she caught a glimpse of his aura: unmistakably red. An anti-bridge. This time, she really did break their sync.

"Guys, wait!" she cried desperately.

But it was too late. The spell's last verse slipped from Aliss's lips. All three sisters' eyes widened in horror as their worlds melted into black.

o.O.0.O.o

The loose soil crunched under his footsteps as he stepped his way around the thickets, stumps, and fallen logs. A small, knowing smile spread across his lips. It seemed everything had gone according to plan. He knew the witches would resort to such a rash decision. He knew Wrath would not be pleased, but he did not verbally promise to kill them. He only promised to remove the siren from their grasp.

The homunculus carefully stepped around the edge of the cliff and retrieved the sleeping siren. He shifted the creature's weight in his arms and headed south. As he walked, Greed happily reflected on the day's events. Everything had gone in his favor. Not one loose end, and all of his sworn tasks were cleverly twisted around to suit his personal agenda. He loved riches and wealth above all things, however, loopholes were a close second.

Greed mentally noted that Wrath and the rest of his kin would have his head if or when they ever found him again. Such a steep price for one little back-stab. But it filled him with exhilaration and thrill to finally set his agenda in motion. If his luck favored him like it did that day, he would be the only creature of his kind in a few months. And then he would take over the world in a sense that allowed his pets to go about their normal business. Yet, they would all know their place under him.

It was an oddly harmless dream he had. Possibly because he just couldn't get enough of humans. They were fascinating to watch. He wanted to study them. He wanted to learn from them, since they seemed to find happiness in the strangest of places.

To think the rest of his kin would gladly sacrifice every one of those magnificently ignorant creatures for complete immortality. Personally, he couldn't imagine the world without them.

Greed looked down at the creature in his arms. Even though they were completely different from his beloved mascots, he harbored a soft spot for the odd little fish-people as well. They were just as capable of strangeness as humans were. The homunculus smiled down at the siren's peaceful expression. He looked so young. Just like his chimeras did when he took them in.

Alas, he could not keep this creature. Although his namesake was "Greed" for a reason, he knew that keeping this particular one would give him a lot more trouble than he was worth. Better let his kin think he'd lost it rather than added to his collection. And so, when Greed stopped beside the river, he knelt down and carefully released the siren into the water, where he sank to the bottom in his slumber. A gentle hand placed itself on Greed's shoulder and he turned around to see Martel smiling down approvingly.

"Martel," he told her quietly, "I want you to watch this one. Keep an eye on it until it gets to safety."

She gave him a small nod and followed the siren as the current pushed its sleeping form downstream.

Greed stood up and faced the others. "Roa, I want you to find those witches. They're somewhere in Aerugo. Keep them safe."

"Yes, sir," the ox chimera grunted, disappearing into the trees.

"As for the rest of you," Greed finished, "Follow me. We've got work to do."

He received some curt nods and a couple of "Yes, sir" s as he spun on his heel and marched north.

 _There's your sign, Envy_ , he thought, _Count me in._

o.O.0.O.o

My senses returned to me at a snail's pace. I also felt like shit, which wasn't helping me in the least bit. My stomach churned angrily, as if I'd eaten something I shouldn't have. Nausea overwhelmed me for a moment, and I levered myself upright to toss my cookies. Though the cookie-tossing never came. To my relief, my nausea washed away within seconds.

I stretched groggily and pried both sets of eyelids open. Then I shut the inner ones immediately after my eyes were greeted with freezing fluid. I blinked the slime out of my eyes and looked around in surprise: I was underwater! A confused frown furrowed my hairless brow as I surveyed my environment.

A river, it looked like. But no waterfall or pool. Just a plain river with plain fish, plain rocks, and plain water currents. I also noticed another thing: I was alone. The figure of Aliss was absent from the shore.

"Guys…?" I shouted uncertainly.

I blinked after I spoke. My voice sounded weird underwater, like the word didn't come out right. Remembering my current problem, I shook my head and flicked my tail. I clasped my webbed hand onto the edge of the river and pulled myself above the water.

Carefully, I peered around for any sign of life. When I noticed none, I shouted again. "Guys? Where are you?"

When I received no response, my frown deepened. Maybe they were just… er, navigating? But then, why would they leave me alone like this? Aliss should've been there. What was going on?

Maybe they just couldn't hear me. Yeah. That must've been it. I glanced around to make sure no one was around to see me. Deeming the coast clear, I pulled myself halfway out of the river with some effort. Once I planted my bottom on the shore's edge, I continued.

"This isn't funny, guys! Come out now!"

Suddenly, a twig snapped in the woods across from me. I snapped my head towards it, but did not spot anything. I narrowed my eyes in the direction for a good minute or so before shrugging and giving up. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted one last time,

"WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!"

An owl hooted somewhere to my left, but I got no other reply. Worried now, I searched my memory for any clues. The last I remembered, we were headed for the southbound train that Allephe found. If all went well, I should've woken up in a train car.

But I didn't. I woke up in a river. And the witches were gone.

I had to force a bout of overwhelming panic down. I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat and took a deep breath. I shut my eyes and concentrated on one of the many thousands of questions swirling in my head: what do I do now?

Instinctively, the first thing that came to mind was I have to find them. I needed to know that they were okay. After everything we'd been through the past few days, the witches and I had developed a bond. And I owed them for taking me in and saving me from the homunculi. I wasn't sure if the witches were just being asses or if they really were in danger, but I couldn't afford to assume the former.

However, another thought hit me as well. A rather ugly thought. Yet, very tempting. Since this was the first time we were actually separated, I had a choice. If I decided, I could just abandon them altogether and go back to Resembool. I could return to my family and go about my normal life again.

Although, that last part probably didn't apply anymore. Even if I went back, things would never be the same. The homunculi would still come after me, and, without the witches, I wasn't sure if my family stood a chance against them. In my experience, sirens were almost completely useless on land. Which was likely why the majority of my race stayed in the sea. I began to wonder about this "Resembool" place. Was it above or below water?

Then a strange thought hit me. Is there a way I can do both?

I sat on that for a minute or so. After a while, I concluded yes. If I could find my family, and then convince them to help me look for the witches, then I could kill two fish with one volt. Er… so to speak.

I nodded to myself. First thing was first: I needed to be able to navigate. I needed a map.


	20. Chapter 20

Golden Scales Chapter 20

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

 **Warning: This chapter contains references to alcohol and violence.**

o.O.0.O.o

On the coast of the South Sea, at approximately 9:34pm, a rather frustrated creature paced the enclosed space of a lighthouse's tower room. The thin heels of her shoes clicked against the polished tiles with every anxious step. Her lips were twisted into an irritated frown, her brow furrowed to accentuate the ever-present expression.

About twenty five minutes ago, she'd hung up the receiver following an intense phone call which involved a generous amount of shouting. The creature had since prowled her enclosure with the belief that her earlier intentions were hopelessly shattered. It seemed, whatever the other creature had relayed back to her, it was unfortunate enough to cause such an extreme bout of distress.

It became obvious that she possessed no control over her circumstances when she decidedly plopped down and sighed in defeat. She lifted her head and gazed up at the waning reflection above the tower, assumedly asking Moon for a reason why. A reason that I could not give.

Then a new expression cleared the creature's features of her unpleasant frown: relief. It seemed she came to terms with the distressing events, which, by an unseen influence, offered her reassurance in some aspect. Freed for the first time in hours, tension left the creature's shoulders. Her chest expanded in an easy sigh. Her crimson lips were not pulled in any direction, but rested neutrally.

The creature gazed up at Moon one last time before rising to her feet and exiting the tower room.

o.O.0.O.o

It felt as if I had been swimming for days. The muscles in my tailfin ached, my second set of eyelids were drooping shut every other minute, and I lost all feeling in my arms hours ago. I wouldn't be surprised if my scales started peeling off my body one by one.

The worst part? I had absolutely no idea where I was going, or what I would do once I got there. I had made a game plan to fetch a map or ask for directions, but I later realized just how impossible that was for me. I certainly wasn't the brightest fish in the sea, but I did know better than to expose myself to humans.

Ever so slowly, the daylight waned. Orange shifted to pink, pink shifted to purple, and purple shifted to blue as the setting sun painted the sky with vibrant pastels. Once the sun cleared the horizon, the river was bathed in darkness. And when the water became pitch black, that was when things got a little more interesting.

My sight adjusted to the darkness, switching to some sort of natural night-vision. Also, I noticed a soft glow reflecting off the rocks directly beneath me. For the longest time I assumed that light was coming from the river bed. However, when I glanced back to check my progress, I noticed something far more extraordinary.

The light was coming from _me_.

Those darkened patches of scales that pronounced my stripes in the daytime were lit up with golden luminescence. My eyes widened in surprise, however, they weren't nearly as wide as they were when the next body part decided to join the glow-fest. Slowly, light spread across each long strand of my golden hair. By now, it reached down to the middle of my tail trunk, past my bottom, and it was a rather breathtaking sight to watch the glow spread from my scalp outward. It was enough to wash away some of my earlier drowsiness.

Despite the beautiful display, a yawn stretch my mouth open for the umpteenth time that evening. I shook my head in an attempt to wake myself up. I needed to keep going. I needed to find a map, or someone willing to give me directions to this mysterious Resembool. But the further I swam, the heavier my outer eyelids became. Suddenly the revelation of becoming a swimming glow-stick wasn't so surprising anymore.

Still, I hung onto the tiny thread of consciousness I had left. I clung to it tight as I could for as long as I could. Until finally my glow-riddled body gave up on me. I felt myself slipping away as I sank motionlessly to the bottom of the river.

o.O.0.O.o

Once she was sure the siren had drifted off, the slap of a face-palm echoed almost inaudibly through the woods. Martel cursed under her breath. Of all the times to pass out from exhaustion, and he does it now? After nightfall when sirens start to glow in the freaking dark?! Might as well stick a big sign next to the river saying, "Look, a glow-in-the-dark fish-person just a snooozin' away! Come and kidnap it, please!"

Martel scoffed at her rotten luck. Nonetheless, she peered around carefully before deeming the area empty of humans. Climbing down the branches of her perch, she kept a close eye on the siren. The last time it fell asleep in the river, the current carried it off. However, it seemed the siren had chosen a less active spot to nest this time, for he remained static at the bottom of the river.

The chimera landed on the grass with a small grunt before righting herself and stalking towards her charge. The evening air sank its frozen fangs into her neck as soon as her scarf shifted. Quickly, she readjusted it and held her jacket shut. Martel hated the cold. She loathed it even before those bastards twisted her into the reptilian creature she was now. She grew up in southern Amestris, where snow fall occurred few and far in between. But here, in the northern half of the country, the cold pierced her skin viciously, as if compensating for all those years she'd gone without winter.

She heaved a forced sigh as she knelt next to the river. Her eyes scanned the glowing creature, examining its form for injuries. After a few seconds, she detected none and decidedly seated herself.

Martel honestly had no idea what her fate had in store for her. And, surprisingly, it didn't bug her in the least bit. She knew her charge had not the faintest idea where he was going. Although, she had caught on to his intentions, which were to obtain some form of navigation. Normally, Martel would've loved to help him out. But her orders to stay out of sight were clear. Also, she couldn't help but thrive on the idea of being lost. Martel was strange in that respect. Most people wanted to be found, not lost.

She supposed it had something to do with her… condition. Or perhaps the nature of her second species. Either way, she preferred to be alone with her thoughts and independent from humans. Like how her charge should've been.

The chimera gazed down at said charge once more. He looked so young when he slept. If she had to guess by simply looking at him, Martel would say he was about twelve years old. But that was judging by size alone, not even considering his rather toned muscles and facial structure. Not that the facial structure would've helped any, since sirens usually have younger-looking complexions.

Martel shook her head. She was well aware of a siren's natural charms, and she refused to fall below his subtle influence. She had a job to do. Even if that job pretty much boiled down to staring at a piece of eye-candy all day.

A small sigh escaped her lips. She closed her eyes, her first real attempt at relaxation since Greed had given her her orders. Maybe being found wasn't such a bad thing after all. If it meant she could get a few hours of shut eye, it would be worth it for her.

Suddenly a glowing movement in the water caught her eyes. Martel observed as the siren shifted in his sleep, dislodging his tailfin from a rock. Martel hadn't been aware of it before, and her heart sank when the sleeping form of her siren began drifting off with the gentle pull of the river current.

A silent groan rumbled in her throat as she pulled herself to her feet.

o.O.0.O.o

At this rate, I would've preferred taking my chances with a human. So long as it meant I could leave this river. Now I was sure that days had passed since I set out. I could tell because my stomach had started to gripe about my lack of eating. But I didn't want to kill the entire river just so I could have one little snack for the road.

Also, I came across another problem when I realized something: rivers were freshwater. I had no way of getting a normal intake of salt here. My body began telling me why I needed it a few hours ago when I noticed my scales really _were_ peeling off my body. In addition, I felt like shit, which was one of the reasons I decidedly halted my travels in favor of a short break.

Currently, I sat on the shore of the river, the lower half of my tail still submerged in the water. I wrung out my long hair as best I could before settling for staring off into space. Towering forests of shrubbery and trees surrounded this portion of the river, effectively concealing it from prying eyes. Yet, should a human pass through I wouldn't care in the least bit. That's how tired I was of swimming in this endless river.

My stomach protested loudly, causing me to wince slightly. So far, I was able to ignore the various signs of hunger. Heck, I hadn't even noticed it until today. But I couldn't ignore my own exhaustion. Even now I battled my fatigue to stay sitting upright in the open air. A battle that I would be sorely losing if I didn't eat something soon.

I rubbed my arms with my webbed hands, scouring the depths of my mind for answers. What was I going to say to my family when I finally did reach Resembool? Coming back with amnesia and the intent to save three strangers, whom were the ones that kidnapped me in the first place, didn't sound like the best homecoming statement. I doubted they'd be willing to help the very people who'd taken me away. And I doubted they'd believe me about the homunculi being after me. At least, until they actually showed up to prove me right.

Also, I didn't know how they would react to my amnesia. I had no idea what I was normally like, so it wouldn't be the same for them or myself. It wouldn't be the same until I got my memories back, and amnesia was an unpredictable condition. One could receive all of their memories within a few months after the incident, or never receive them at all.

Before I could properly engross myself in my thoughts, a noise on the other side of the clearing snatched my attention. I looked over to see bushes rustling with movement. Immediately, my heart started pounding; my nerves flared to life, preparing my muscles for a fight or flight response.

My eyes widened to terrified saucers as two humans emerged from the brush. Each held a shotgun in one hand and a bottle of alcohol in the other. They stumbled into the clearing, laughing like idiots, not even looking in my direction. Even so, my body involuntarily locked up. I couldn't move a muscle. I just sat there, frozen in shock as I watched the two humans stagger closer and closer to the river.

At the back of my frantic mind, I knew I should swim away. I knew that the drunkards would spot me eventually, and when that happened my only chance would be to flee. However, I wasn't sure if my body would cooperate with that action once the humans did see me. And that's what terrified me the most.

To my horror, one of the hunters finally caught sight of me. The man's lips twisted into a wavering half-smile and he slurred,

"Well, wooul' ya look at that… a _golden_ deer! Don' it look like a gooolden deer, Je'ry…?"

 _What?!_ I thought, _NO! Do I look like a mammal to you, dumbass?!_

"Ha ha!" the other responded, "It does don' it, Ted?"

For what happened next, I thanked every star in the sky. Just as the two drunkards raised the barrels of their shotguns, I snapped out of my paralysis. A loud crack rang through the open air, and the bullet whizzed just past my ear-fin where my head had been a mere fraction of a second ago.

Wasting no time, I dived into the river and swam for as long and far as my fins would carry me.


	21. Chapter 21

Golden Scales Chapter 21

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I woke up to the sensation of falling. Being half-asleep and groggy as I was, I didn't quite register that sensation until I had plummeted roughly three quarters of the way down the waterfall. I snapped out of my daze just in time to be shocked awake by the impact of the water at the bottom of the falls.

For a brief moment, my now panic-filled form spun around every which way with the turbulence of the water. The water twirled me quickly enough to give me an unpleasant bout of nausea. When I finally broke free of the turbulent currents, I wrapped my arms around myself and bent over to heave. But that was all that happened: just heaving. No vomit came up. Simply because my stomach contained nothing food-related to offer.

I groaned miserably and sank to the bottom of the river. There I waited for my agony to subside whilst I glanced around to take in my newest environment.

To my immediate surprise, I was no longer in a river. Not even close. The water stretched on in all directions for as far as my eyes could see; and I saw no end. The farther I looked on, the darker and deeper the water seemed to become. Huge rock formations disrupted the smooth flow of the sandy, plant-riddled floor. Fish species I had not yet seen until now swam past in groups. Some of the smaller fish in larger groups bravely investigated my long, now glowing hair. I stifled a girlish giggle as their tiny forms tickled each sensitive strand.

Despite my being lost, a large grin stretched my lips upward and, unknown to me, showed off my sharp shark-like teeth. I felt another bout of ridiculous euphoria overwhelm me as the group of tiny fish swirled fearlessly around me. I began experiencing new and potent emotions, flooding me with strange but welcomed thrill. Even though it was clearly a lake, I couldn't help but thrive in this spacious, sea-like enclosure.

A few minutes later, the large group of tiny fish moved on, leaving me alone to investigate my surroundings. I glanced up and noticed a distorted, shimmering silver light above the surface. The moon, I figured. It was night. Meaning safe to look around without drunkard hunters milling about.

Slowly, I came down from my happiness high. As my mindset descended to earth, I ascended to the surface of the lake. My head broke the surface, and I used my webbed hand to push a few locks of glowing hair out of my eyes. Immediately upon blinking and opening my inner eyelids, I scanned the area and registered the deep mountain-ringed valley I found myself in. I also noted that something about this place struck me as familiar. I frowned, but shoved the thought aside for the moment.

My eyes continued to swipe over the mountain range, but stopped when they spotted lights in the distance. Static lights, likely belonging to a small settlement just through the woods. A human settlement.

I contemplated my options carefully. I could swipe a map from one of the fishing shacks on the east side of the lake before dawn. But how would I get in? The doors were probably locked. Even if I was miraculously strong enough to break the lock, I wouldn't be able to reach it anyhow. I could wait for day until a human unlocked the door, but then I'd have to run the risk of getting spotted. Neither way sounded good.

I frowned in disappointment. If only I had legs. Two thirds of my problems thus far came from my rueful inability to get around on land. That and my inability to navigate on my own. One would figure a siren might have some sort of magical, built-in compass, right? Wrong. Like any other animal, I possessed little to no special qualities. In fact, the only reason I'd made it this long was because the witches had been taking care of me since my awakening. Now that they were gone, I had no assistance, no way of knowing where I was, and no company.

Yet another reason I needed to find them. They were my lifeline out here in the open air.

An expression of intense resolution robbed my face of my previous frown. I needed a map, and fast. I didn't care if it took me all night. I'd find a way into that fishing shack without legs.

Nodding to myself, I flicked my tailfin and headed for the east side of the lake.

o.O.0.O.o

Lust found herself at the entrance of a lively town. As she watched the humans dance and frolic around inside their fenced borders, the homunculus wore a faded smile. She thought it quite cute that humans went out of their way to celebrate the moon's alignment with the sun. Lust celebrated as well, but not with silly dances and beaded necklaces. For her, a smile was enough.

Her treasonous happiness would've cost her her head had Father seen her just then, but she didn't care. Her time in the lighthouse tower gave her more than enough time to mull over her options. Options that she'd never possessed until recently. Envy's offer tempted the Great Temptress. After so long of thinking it over, she concluded that she'd rather be exhumed from this world and freed than serve Father as a perpetual slave.

All she needed was an opening. Some act of defiance to Father that would signal to Envy her agreement to his terms. And now that the solstice had arrived, it was too late for Father to break his ties with Truth using the Moon Stone. They'd have to wait for another celestial alignment— the winter solstice. Which gave Lust plenty of time to commit this act of defiance.

It also gave the siren plenty of time to heal, although he didn't know it yet. Likely, he still expected attacks from them. This brought Lust to her latest revelation as she formulated her act of defiance: she'd tell him. He had not yet seen her, and therefore she could simply walk up to him and offer her knowledge. It sounded swell and dandy in her mind, but she knew nothing could be that simple. She'd have to get past Greed's bodyguard without raising alarm first.

Lust sighed and shuffled her feet. Her heels dug small indentations in the dirt she stood upon. She leaned against the fence with crossed arms, aiming to look irreproachable. It failed.

"Excuse me, miss," a voice said, "Would you care for a dance?"

Lust looked up to see a young man –maybe twenty– smiling and offering his hand. He had stunning blue eyes and an endearingly disheveled mop of black hair. He wore festival garb: colorful trousers, a white tunic, and a tulle scarf wrapped diagonally around his chest. She blinked despite herself.

At first, she moved to sneer and slap the lower creature's hand away. That's the kind of behavior that Father expected of her. Father had pounded into their heads that humans were a despicable race that they ought not sink low enough to interact with. But Lust quickly stopped herself. Lust herself had no quarrels with humankind. Her filthy crimes against the animals were only to keep up appearances and please Father. Like Envy, she grew rather jealous of them. They were, in her opinion, adorable. She yearned to find happiness in the strangest of places just as they did.

Lust raised her gaze and fixated her focus on the human's earnest and cheerful expression. She smiled slightly. In her own way, Lust committed an act of defiance. A defiance that combatted her former self. The self that Father had worked so hard to sculpt. Father's perfect cast of Lust crumbled away as she took the young man's offered hand. A genuine smile spread across her lips as she said in a for once unstressed tone:

"Certainly."

o.O.0.O.o

At this point, Martel would rather give up the charade than watch the siren struggle for one more second. It was bad enough when Martel couldn't get a wink of shut-eye because of that stupid river current. But this? This was just sad. She observed miserably as her charge tried again and again to open that damned door.

This had been going on for hours.

The snake chimera slunk a little lower into her bough. She leaned her head against the tree trunk, closed her eyes, and sighed. It wasn't like her charge was going anywhere. If she'd learned anything about this siren since Greed assigned her bodyguard-duty, it was that he was insufferably stubborn. Even as she laid there in her tree, she could hear his not-so-silent grunts, growls, and frustrated yells echoing off the earthen walls of the valley. With each double-toned shriek of effort, the unsettled birds either fluttered their wings or cawed.

She felt sympathy for those birds. She too would love nothing more at that moment than for those noises to stop. Martel grew quite exhausted of this creature's undying determination. She often asked herself if his need for sleep would eventually force him to relent. So far, it looked unlikely.

Martel relaxed into the tree and listened to the siren's noise for two more hours. Finally, as she watched the siren reluctantly retreat back into the lake at dawn, her shoulders dropped in relief.

Then she made a rash, but necessary decision. She leapt down from her perch and trotted across the shore to the fishing shack. Once there, she broke the lock and slipped inside. She swiped the nearest map off the table inside and took it back to her perch, carefully shutting the door behind her as she went. She resolved to bury the map in the sand by the door just before dusk that next evening.

o.O.0.O.o

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. They slid over the surrounding area skeptically, scanning for the being that surely left the map there for me. Someone had definitely spotted me last night, but I couldn't make heads or tails of their species. The footprints left behind in the sand offered no clear clue. They were just circles, as if a hoofed animal trampled through. Or perhaps a human walking on their toes.

Either way, it was obvious the map had been fetched for me. I shrugged. If it was some kind of trap, I always had my freaky electric-eel powers. I lifted my shaky webbed hand and dislodged the parchment from the sand. My ear-fins flicked to and fro, listening for movement. I heard none.

After a moment or two, I sighed and opened the map. I spread it out on the sand and orientated it according to the compass provided in the upper right-hand corner. I happily scanned the layout. Almost straight away, I recognized the lake that I currently occupied. Smack dead in the center of the map. How convenient.

I also recognized another familiar landmark: railroad tracks. It was then that it dawned on me. Of course! This place looked familiar because I'd seen it before. Back when I was on the first train with the witches. I remembered seeing a winged girl nesting in a tree, and a family of deer crossing a nearby stream.

I quickly shoved this aside as I focused on the issue at hand. I scanned every labeled city dot for Resembool. My eyes lit up when I found it. A smile spread across my face. I wasn't too far off from it, either. A week's journey if I took the southbound river. And I'd only have to cross through one city on the way: Dublith.

However, there was one element of the map that I didn't quite understand. I did not blame the mapmakers, or accuse them of error, but I didn't quite get how the witches could've taken me from that particular location. Resting out in what appeared to be barren farmland and forest, Resembool possessed no large bodies of water. Nor was it located anywhere near the sea. It resided right there in Amestris; the country surrounded by land. Only one, measly little river cut through the small settlement.

Part of me wondered if Aliss had given me the wrong name. Or that perhaps I'd found a different Resembool. Either way, it made no sense to me.

Nonetheless, it was my only lead. I knew I should be counting myself lucky that someone was kind enough to fetch even the map for me. And lucky that Aliss coughed up a specific name. I rolled up the map and took it with me. I glanced around one last time before slithering back into the lake.


	22. Chapter 22

Golden Scales Chapter 22

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Three hours later, Martel panted in the higher branches of an aged oak. Since receiving (and losing) the map, her charge swam nonstop southward, taking the route she knew he'd choose. To her surprise, the siren hadn't been the least fazed when the map disintegrated in the raging waters of the river. He barely even noticed. When he did stop to check it and noted its absence, he merely shook his head and plowed forward again.

Martel almost regretted planting the map. Although she couldn't bring herself to complain. She knew the faster they got to Resembool, the sooner her job would be finished. Once her eyes confirmed his safety with his family, she'd be off and heading back to Dublith.

The chimera smiled as she remembered their route. They'd be passing through Dublith. Even if their journey only skirted the river, she'd get to admire her beloved city from afar. It was where Greed found her. And it was the only place on earth that registered as "home" in her mind.

She forcefully pulled herself out of her thoughts to focus on her charge. He currently worked his way through a rather rocky patch of river. The siren navigated through the turbulent, foamy waters with caution. She rolled her eyes and sighed before jumping a few trees over to keep up with him.

Twenty-three minutes later found them inside a concealing grove of willows. The setting sun painted the sky in vibrant reds and purples as it worked to clear the horizon. It was here that the siren chose to surface and rest for a bit. Martel gladly slumped down into the bough she stood upon.

Unfortunately, her period of rest would be short-lived.

Not ten seconds later, she spotted a dark figure emerging through the north end of the small glade. Upon closer inspection, Martel's reptilian pupils dilated. Her breath fled her lungs as she took in a known enemy's form. The homunculus appeared rather weary and relaxed, however that fazed her not. Martel quickly dropped from her tree and sprinted towards her. The enemy did nothing as Martel stopped just beside her, holding a jagged blade to her throat.

"You have no business here," Martel whispered/growled, "The solstice is passed. You're too late. Now leave!"

Lust's expression remained irritatingly neutral, to Martel's despise. But she couldn't help furrowing her brow when a simple, honest tone flowed from her colorless lips.

"It's true, the solstice is passed. And I am too late. But I do have business here: I only wish to speak with the siren."

What was she playing at? Martel narrowed her eyes and released a quiet snarl. She held her blade closer to Lust's throat as she replied, "What makes you think I'll let you near him? Do I look stupid to you? I won't fall for your trickery! Beat it, before I slice your head off!"

Martel's anger only flared more when Lust broke her expression for a sad pout. "Has Greed not told you?"

The chimera's shoulders dropped slightly. "Told me what?"

"I'm done serving Father," Lust stated firmly, "I have taken Envy's offer."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Lust's purple eyes shifted to a piteous, almost shameful shape. Her gaze fell to the ground. "Why would I stand here and let you hold that blade to my neck if I was not sincere? Have you not noticed how I stand here and let you speak freely? If I meant to harm the siren I would've bypassed you easily. Yet I stayed and asked for your clearance."

Martel slowly began to lower her blade. Something about the way Lust spoke struck her as odd. Her speech flowed naturally with syntactic rhythm. Her words held no malice or double meanings. The homunculus was, for once, speaking in a direct and honest tone. Her eyes only reinforced the sincerity of her speech. She also spoke in a way that may have reflected her original time line, as if she remembered her life before Father marked her. Just as Greed and Envy did.

After a moment, the chimera sheathed her blade and sighed. Lust did not change besides breathing easier. The homunculus looked Martel in the eye, awaiting an answer.

"Fine," Martel whispered, "But the moment you step out of line I'll be aiming for your Stone."

Lust's shoulders dropped in relief. Then she nodded. "Understood."

o.O.0.O.o

I figured I must've been quite the sight. Not that I meant to stroke my already swelled ego. I sat perched on the edge of the river, my tail half-submerged in the river. The sun approached the horizon, swathing the breathtaking willow-grove in golden-red light. My scales glittered even in the dim lighting. I sat upright, wringing excess water out of my long, beautiful hair.

Surely I looked picture-perfect to any passerby.

Even so, I did not feel nearly as picture-perfect as I assumedly looked. My insides churned in hunger. The scales on my tailfin were peeling off one by one. Small bouts of nausea overwhelmed me from time to time and subsided just as quickly. Certainly, it was safe to say I could do with a little bit of human care right then. This was why sirens lived in the sea, where they could actually take care of themselves.

I released a small sigh as I finished draining my less-than-cooperative hair. Some strands remained active even above the water and wrapped themselves around my wrists and arms. After so long of getting used to my form, it came as no shock to me. I absently unwrapped the strands and flicked them away.

I had just decided to try killing some dinner via electricity when I heard rustling in the bushes behind me.

Immediately, I whirled around to face the noise. I observed the bushes with narrowed eyes. A few seconds later, a woman peeked around from behind a willow. I watched her carefully as she hesitantly stepped out from behind the tree. She looked very nervous, but at the same time purposeful. The woman began to slowly make her way across the grove towards me. Her violet eyes held contact with my own as she moved, as if begging me to stay.

I decided that she didn't look very threatening. Just a worry-stricken human that probably wanted to know if she was crazy or not for seeing me. Although I did not drop my guard. I held her gaze steadily as she finally came to a stop in front of me. I stayed put as she knelt down beside me to be eye-level.

Just when I expected the words "are you real" to come pouring out of her mouth, she said something quite different.

"I need to tell you something," she said gently, "Will you listen?"

I blinked, a bit confused. Nonetheless, I gave her a small nod.

She glanced back towards where she came from, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "The witches are safe."

I gave a small gasp, but said nothing as I continued to listen.

"They're in Aerugo," she went on, "Someone is guarding them, so you need not worry. Also, the solstice is passed. The homunculi have missed their chance to use the Moon Stone for what they intend. They must wait until the next solstice to try again. They will take someone close to you when they do, but I will make sure they are not harmed."

She paused, letting the information sink in before continuing. "Prepare yourself for winter."

I mulled over this information before filing it away and asking, "Who are you? How do you know all of this?"

The woman swallowed. "My name was Elizabeth, I think. I am called Lust by a few, but you may call me Beth. I know this because I was involved in Father's schemes until now. Now I am free."

Before I could reply, Beth stood suddenly. "I must leave you now. Please heed my warning and brace yourself."

"W-wait…!" I tried to say, but it was already too late.

She was gone.

o.O.0.O.o

A few uneventful days passed. I resumed my journey and carefully chipped away at the new information as I went. I was, first and foremost, glad to hear that the witches were alive and safe. That had lifted my largest weight off my shoulders. Secondly, knowing that I shouldn't expect another attack until winter brought me great relief. At the back of my mind, I'd been worried that if the homunculi attacked again, I wouldn't be able to defend myself without the witches. Even with my electric-eel powers, I saw what they did to them. I doubted a little zap would do much good against a force like that.

I also couldn't help but wonder who this mysterious Beth was. Sure, she introduced herself (sort of) and told me that she'd been "involved" in the homunculi's schemes. I couldn't bring myself to assume that Beth had actually worked with them. But on the other hand, it did sound very likely. The sheer guilt in her voice told me she'd done some awful things in her time. Things she'd never forgive herself for.

Though, I could see, clear as day, that Beth meant me no harm. She intended to help me. To me, that was the only thing that mattered. Beth was trying to amend her mistakes. She was trying make it right. In my opinion, that should be the only way to judge someone— by their actions, and the meaning behind them.

That's why I could forgive the witches for kidnapping me. They took care of me, and by doing so they showed me that they were good people.

During the second day, I decided I'd find my family, settle in for a few months, and then set off again to meet the witches in Aerugo. I'd find them before the solstice, take care of the witches' curse and free this unnamed hostage, and finally defeat the homunculi. Hopefully, both the witches and I would be strong enough to fight them by then.

On the third day, I had had enough of the loud protests of hunger my stomach gave off. I fried everything within ten feet of myself, again, but it was worth it to have a full stomach again.

Which brings us to now. I glided through the water with a small smile dusting my lips. Large, ominous storm clouds cloaked the sky in darkness. A powerful gale-storm above stirred the already turbulent currents below, giving me a slightly difficult time as I navigated through the more rocky swatches of the river. I did not mind, though. The limitless reserve of energy that charged my environment filled me with thrill and delight. I hadn't realized just how much I loved storms. I didn't have the opportunity to experience less-than-perfect weather until now. Although, in my definition, this violent and divine energy was perfection.

I felt as if one flick of my tailfin could flood a city. One twitch from my ear-fin could arise a wrathful tempest. It felt like both the air and water fell under my supreme and willful command. I could only imagine what kind of power I would feel in a sea-storm.

Thunder boomed overhead. It did not distract my thoughts or veer my focus. It cleared my head.

After a while, I surfaced and peered around through the heavy downpour of rain. In the distance, I could see the static lights of a large human settlement: Dublith. Only a few miles away. Which meant I was roughly halfway to Resembool. I grinned and slipped under the churning waves once more.


	23. Chapter 23

Golden Scales Chapter 23

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

 **For those of you who were excited to get Al's take on all this, this is indeed the chapter where he reenters the story. That's one of the downfalls of trying to write by yourself. I had no idea people would be itching to hear what Al had to say. If I knew I would've reintroduced Al quite a few chapters ago.**

o.O.0.O.o

A woman of twenty-five years smiled at her two young children as they played on the rug. Her husband, a large stocky man named Charlie, sat beside her on the dusty upholstery. The woman kept one eye on her mischievous children as she scanned the interior of the cabin.

Her husband's Aunt Agatha had recently passed, to who's funeral the young family had attended not two weeks ago. In the will the old woman left behind, she left this place for her brother. Charlie's father had also passed on, and in that case the cabin was left to Charlie himself.

The young woman, Seline, had been partially delighted when she received the news. From what she could see of the cabin so far, she knew it held great potential. Not quite livable yet, though she was sure they could fix it up in no time.

The children on the other hand didn't understand the significance behind receiving the condemned house. They only saw it as a new place to explore and play. They absolutely loved the surrounding forest and, of course, the spring just beside the cabin.

Once given their mother's permission, the two munchkins set off down the hallway to check out the bedrooms. The youngest, a daughter named Jesslie, tottered into the first open door she encountered, while the older son, named Parker, took off to the far end of the hall.

Parker's room contained nothing remotely interesting. Just a plain bed, a plain rug, and plain nightstands. The drawers were empty. The rug was shaken and clean. The bed was made with neat white sheets and covers folded to precision.

Jesslie's room, however, was a different story. Since this child was the youngest, and understood the very least of her environment, I will describe to you what her little toddler mind did not notice. Dust caked the aged wooden floorboards, as with all the other rooms. The footprints in the dust did not come from Jesslie, for she had just entered the room. These footprints appeared as though the last person had left in quite a hurry. More evidence of this could be taken from the rather mangled state of the bed-sheets. Finally, on the far wall of the room, just below the windowsill, a rather nasty scorch mark scarred the wooden panels.

Now, what Jesslie saw was very different. But we need not get into her simple descriptions. We shall skip to the rather important event that occurred as soon as Jesslie scaled the bed.

Once she hauled herself up, she took a good look around the room and found it uninteresting. Her eyes wondered over to the nightstand beside the second bed. The toddler pulled open the top drawer with some effort. She frowned in disappointment when she saw nothing. She tried the second drawer: still nothing. Finally, she moved her way to the other nightstand. When Jesslie opened the top drawer, her eyes lit up in surprise.

From this drawer she pulled a large expanse of white cloth, sewn with two strange red sashes. She investigated it thoroughly. The little girl giggled as she wore it every which way she could think of. After some time, she grew bored of her new plaything. But just as she was about ready to head for the door, something caught her eye.

There, at the bottom of the top drawer, previously covered by the white cloth, lay a small clam shell tied with black twine. It glittered even in the dim lighting of the room. Allured by its beauty, the small girl dropped the cloth in her hands and grasped the necklace. Jesslie inspected its unblemished surface for a good long second before a large smile plastered itself across her lips. She giggled once more and moved to hop off the bed, intending to show her mother the new object.

Fortunately for reasons unknown to any of them, as the girl leapt off the side of the bed she dropped the precious clam shell. It shattered as soon as it hit the floor, and mysterious white smoke spread from the ruins. The little girl watched, confused, while the smoke slowly exited through the window in an almost snake-like manner.

o.O.0.O.o

Golden eyes widened in horror.

All fin movement halted at once. The water around him grew uncomfortably cold. The siren stared ahead at nothing as it all slammed into him. And, as if a pile of bricks really had fallen on him, he sank to the bottom of the river.

It was too much.

Before, Ed assumed that when his memories returned they'd come back nice and slow. He assumed he'd remember random bits and pieces, one at a time, until finally he had enough to start netting them together. However, Ed had been sorely wrong.

Soon, his body was racked with involuntary tremors. He wrapped his arms around himself as he curled up pathetically on the riverbed, praying for relief.

It would be impossible to describe just what was going through his head at the moment. A siren's mind is very similar to the human mind in many ways. But there are several small differences. For instance, a siren is more likely to forgive and forget. It is simply too distractible to hold grudges and mull over the past. Also, sirens are more likely to think with their hearts than their heads. They only take a few key things into account before finalizing thoughts. In short, they are slightly less complex.

In Ed's case, his new slightly-less-complex siren mind could hardly comprehend the information his older human-like mind had shoved onto him. And it should come as no surprise to know that his consciousness expired shortly after the ordeal.

Ed's golden eyes fell shut, and his soul escaped to the dreamscape while his mind caught up with itself.

o.O.0.O.o

 _How long have I been missing?_ I mentally asked myself.

That was my first organized question since the incident. I wanted to know just how long my brother, Winry, and possibly Pinako had suffered in my absence. Not to sound cocky or self-important, of course. I wanted to know how long my brother had to search for me, and if he was even still searching.

I scoffed at that. Of course my brother was still searching. Why would I even question that? That was a stupid question. Moving on.

Secondly, I wanted to know why the hell no one told me that I was a freaking siren! At this point, I knew I was kidding myself. Even if someone told me I would've called them crazy and walked away. Nonetheless, it still pissed me off. I would've liked someone to at least try. Though, come later I'd remember that someone had tried. Many times, in fact. But I always assumed she was joking.

Thirdly, I wondered how I ought to go about telling the witches that their quest was no longer my top priority. Of course, I knew I still owed them, in a way. Once Al was taken care of and everything was back to normal (not completely normal, that wasn't an option anymore), I'd find them and help them free this "someone" from collateral. At the back of my mind, I may have even been a bit excited to do so. All arrows pointed to the sea in the matter of collecting the Moon Stone.

For the first time in hours, I felt like I had my head screwed on straight again. From my place at the bottom of the riverbed, I smiled. Finally, my thoughts had sorted themselves to a tolerable level. The achy dull pain at the back of my skull ebbed away.

Almost immediately, I began concocting my final plan of action. I ran through a few scenarios in my head, calculated travel time, scheduled some homunculi ass-kickings, and formed a couple of back-up plans just in case. In other words, Edward Elric was back.

The Fullmetal Alchemist had returned.

o.O.0.O.o

A small sigh erupted inaudibly from the lips of one very exhausted creature. His pace had long since slowed, and his fins had long since lost their normal grace. The tailfin in particular looked as if it were ready to drop at any moment. The earlier storm retreated beyond the horizon as it tailed the sunset. With the cloak of darkness gone, the sky shone with deep blues and purples. Sprinkled across the darker patches straight above, roughly twenty stars gleamed and glittered. Earth's moon lit the way as a living glow-stick trailed through the river.

In the distance, should the creature ever lift his head to look, he would notice the lights of a human settlement right above him: Dublith. As it turned out, he did eventually notice an unnaturally pink sliver of light dancing across the rocks of the riverbed. With an achy neck, the siren finally swiveled his head and gazed skyward. His golden eyes widened a fraction of a degree as he took in the sight of a riverside lamppost.

The siren blinked a couple of times. Then he rubbed his eyes and looked again. This time he saw more than just a lamppost. He made out the shape of a bench facing inland. Next to that bench sat a metal box with many little glass windows, just large enough to fit one human standing up. The young siren squinted in the dim lighting. Inside that box hung an unmistakable shape: a telephone.

The creature shook his head. A mental battle erupted as soon as he caught sight of the telephone. An earlier afterthought occurred to him a mere half an hour ago. When Ed finally did reach Resembool, how would he find Al? He couldn't simply drag himself all the way to the Rockbell house. He'd likely get spotted and shipped off to some lab to be dissected and studied.

No. He couldn't have that. So Ed decided he would find a way to contact Al ahead of time. Firstly to let him know that he could end his search, and that his big brother was alive and on his way home. Secondly to arrange a specific meeting place when he finally did arrive in Resembool.

And now the perfect opportunity to contact his brother floated before him on a shiny silver platter. Yet, a rueful enemy held that silver platter high above his head. The same problem stared him in the face once more. Even though the sun had set and the sky had darkened, humans still milled about the streets after hours. He of all people should know that.

And so the gruesome battle between Will and Reason began.

In the end, however, Will came out on top. He'd rather a human spot him here in Dublith than in Resembool where he planned to stay. With that final decision, Ed nodded to himself and flicked his fins. He surfaced right along the river wall and hid behind the edge as he scoped out the area. Once he deemed the coast clear, he reached his webbed hand out and grasped the edge. He pulled himself onto the stone shelf with some effort and began slithering his way across the pavement.

Unfortunately, when he arrived at the foot of the telephone booth, he encountered yet another challenge: the door handle rested so very far above his reaching fingers.

o.O.0.O.o

He sat miserably on the sofa. Winry had gone out to search with Mr. Harrison and Jack just a few hours ago. Pinako left without an explanation and instructed him to stay and pull house-duty. Which basically meant he couldn't leave the house lest Ed return with no one there. The armor had been less than ecstatic to receive those orders. He'd much rather be out and looking for Brother. At least then he felt like he was doing something. Whenever he had to pull house-duty it felt like they weren't making any progress.

Over the past few hours, Al made five phone calls and received two. All of them were for the purposes of checking in and updating the results of the search. With each negative phone call, Al's metaphorical heart sank lower and lower. After a while, his enthusiasm and optimism faded. Now, instead of lighting up whenever he received a call, he winced and dreaded picking up the phone. Now he only anticipated less-than-stellar information.

Of course, receiving a phone call did a perfectly good job at distracting him. He'd come to thrive on distraction. It kept him from retreating to the darker tide of thoughts that flooded the back of his mind. So far, the phone calls were the only way he could keep that tide at bay when he was forced to stay put like this.

And so when a loud RIIIIING chimed through the house, Al dragged his feet, but also dropped his shoulders as he made his way over to the phone. He made a sigh noise before picking up the receiver.

"Hello?" he answered in a tired voice.

The voice he heard on the other end nearly caused him to drop the phone altogether. The whole world seemed to zoom in on him, and a genuinely surprised gasp escaped him after he heard the two simple words.

"Hey, Al."


	24. Chapter 24

Golden Scales Chapter 24

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

If receiving sensory information inside of an empty suit of armor was ever possible at any point in time, now was that time for Alphonse Elric. An almost-real electric shock zipped through his very core. His world melted to nothing but himself and the phone he held. The younger of two siblings had somehow managed to "tense" his armor ever since the moment he found the bathtub empty. This tension did no damage to him as it would to natural flesh muscles. Nonetheless, as soon as Alphonse heard those two words, every bit of tension in his metal vessel left.

The voice he heard on the other end of the telephone could belong to no one else but one person in the entire world. However modulated and double-toned, it still rang with that unmistakable roughage. This should have been an absolute delight to Alphonse, and it was. For a second. Then everything came crashing down when a pessimistic thought wriggled through his euphoria:

 _What if this isn't real?_

If the armor had eyes, he would've blinked. What if the person on the other end of the line wasn't who he thought it was? What if it was just someone completely normal, like Mustang or Mr. Harrison, and Alphonse just wanted to hear that voice so much that his mind was starting to play tricks on him?

All of this happened within three seconds, and it took two seconds more for Al to formulate a response for the mysterious voice.

"W-Who is this?" he asked carefully.

His armor shook with small tremors as he awaited the reply.

"Who do you think it is, Al?" came the voice. "One would think you'd recognize your own brother's voice…"

Immediately, every doubt Alphonse ever had washed away, replaced by a fresh bout of euphoria. "BROTHER?!"

So many questions began swirling around in his mind. Questions that piled up and climbed on top of each other in an extremely unorganized manner. Soon enough, they all came up as word-vomit.

"Where are you? Are you hurt? Did someone kidnap you? Did something happen? Was there—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Edward interrupted, "Slow down, Al! You're giving me a headache! And I'm not even sure if I can _get_ headaches…"

"Huh?"

"Forget it. Just listen, okay? Can you do that for me?"

Alphonse forced himself to calm down before answering. "Y-Yeah. Go on."

"Good," he began, "I'm in Dublith. It should only take me a few days to get to Resembool by… er, my method of travel. I promise, I'll explain everything when I get there. I'll meet you at the bend of the river just before the forest line. You know, our spot. And Al?"

"Yes, Brother?"

Edward sighed. "Brace yourself."

Alphonse tilted his helmet. "H-Huh? Why? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No no, I'm just fine. But um… well, I don't exactly _look_ the same. In fact, you might not even recognize me…"

"That's nonsense, Ed," Al said, "You're my brother. I'll recognize you no matter what kind of disguise you're wearing."

There was a short pause before Edward replied, "That's just it, Al. It's not a disguise. It's not something I can just wash out or take off. It's… well, you'll see when I get there. Just promise me you won't freak out, okay?"

"Of course, Brother. But—"

"Good," Edward said, cutting him off, "I'll be there probably sometime around noon, in three days or so. I probably won't be able to call you again before then, so just hang in there and stay put."

"O-Oh… Okay… But—"

Before Alphonse could finish speaking, he heard a noise on the other end of the line. Then a small gasp from his brother.

"Listen Al, I have to go. Take care."

Alphonse didn't even get a chance to reply to that, because the phone line went dead just then, leaving Al to listen to the dull beeping of a cut-off connection. For a long time, Al just stood there and listened to it, not quite believing what just happened. That dull beep was his only proof that the phone call existed.

Eventually, the front door swung open, accompanied by the sound of three people entering the house. It was then that Al finally hung up the receiver. If only to rush into the entry way to tell everyone the blissfully relieving news.

o.O.0.O.o

Roy's eyelids slipped lower and lower with each passing street. The landscape stretched on, unchanging and grim. Leftover rainwater from the previous storm gushed out of the gutters and spilled onto the lawns of the neighborhood houses. Raging rivers frothed and lapped against the cement curbs of the roads, angrily veering vehicles whose drivers were unlucky enough to notice their hydroplaning a little too late. Dark cumulonimbus clouds swirled and crackled with lightning up above. Powerful gales ripped at the trees violently.

All of which Roy had been seeing for the last half hour. The same storm, the same dreary neighborhoods, and the same churning river along the left side of the road. Albeit, the man had of course kept his speed at a reasonable twenty-five miles per hour the entire time, sometimes even ten under in the lake-like portions of the streets.

Nevertheless, his static environment did nothing to help his growing fatigue.

Ever since he received Alphonse's distressing phone call that day, Roy's life turned into a living nightmare. A nightmare in which he could never wake up from. Although this was nothing compared to his horror-filled past concerning an unmentionable war, he would still argue that he'd much rather be locked in his office with an endless pile of paperwork. And that was saying something.

At least in the comfort of his office he couldn't fall asleep at the wheel and crash into a pole or, heaven forbid, someone else on the road. At least in his office it was relatively safe to shut his eyes for a moment and attempt to clear his head.

Also, out here in the field it felt so real. The fact that his youngest subordinate was missing seemed to stare him right in the face. Since being condemned to desk-duty as a Colonel, Roy had become unaccustomed to the close proximity of the issues at hand. Many times the man asked himself how the kid managed to cope with it. The sheer intensity of it all. From behind a desk of files and reports, catching a criminal sounded like cake-walk. But actually _catching_ the guy was an entirely different matter.

It certainly didn't help the matter when Roy remembered that this was a kid they were looking for. His kid. The kid he convinced to join the ranks. The kid he sent out on missions every other week. The kid that stomped into his office, acting all tough and angry, and then proceeded to insult him directly despite the man's superiority. The kid he'd come to look at as a son more than a subordinate.

Usually, before Roy let his mushy emotions take over, he reminded himself all the more worse off Alphonse was in all this. This was his brother. The kid already had enough problems, what with being an empty suit of armor. He didn't deserve to have his brother taken away, too. It just wasn't fair. And although Roy could not deny it in his mind, he'd never admit out loud that both of those boys were like sons to him.

Even so, there was only so much his body would allow him to do in one day. He couldn't search tirelessly for days on end like Alphonse could. Roy had to fight incoming waves of exhaustion each night to stay awake those extra few hours. And at the present, Roy could feel his iron will waning in defeat, succumbing to the powerful clutches of sleep.

So it probably won't be surprising to know that Roy didn't quite register what he saw when he finally did pull over to the side of the road and shifted the car into park. In his last moments of wakefulness, he spotted a fleck of gold inside of a nearby telephone booth on the riverside of the road. For a fraction of a moment, Roy's tired eyes sharpened just enough to make out the shape of what appeared to be some kind of mer-person. Being as fatigued as he was, he couldn't make sense of it.

The imaginary mer-person seemed to say one last thing into the phone before hanging up and slithering out of the booth. Then it dragged itself across the cobblestone and then finally into the river below. Roy could only wonder why his mind waited this long to begin hallucinating before his eyes fell shut for the final time that evening.

o.O.0.O.o

Martel wanted to strangle her charge. She wanted to dive into that river, drag him out by the tailfin, and rip his scales off one by one. But above everything else, she wanted sleep.

By this time, the only thing reassuring her of relief was the fact that the siren seemed to know what he was doing now. He swam with new purpose, but not at all at a reasonable pace. As a siren, he could probably out-last Martel by a day or so. Sadly, Martel didn't have his same stamina. She became positively pooped over these last few days. And the moment the siren re-entered the river, his yet even quicker pace did not make things any easier for her.

If Martel knew ahead of time just how out-of-shape she was, she might've actually done something about it in preparation for this assignment. But Martel didn't get a heads up. She was stuck with her atrophied muscles until finally they were beaten into shape again. And it wasn't like her newly-toned calves made much of a difference, either.

At one point, Martel actually considered tossing a gigantic rock at the siren in hopes of knocking him out for a few hours. But she quickly tossed that plan when she realized that in doing so the damned thing might lose his memory again.

If this endless journey continued in the same fashion, Martel could rest assured that at some point in time that siren would receive a beating from her. Someway, somehow, she'd find a way to get back at him for all of the misery he'd caused her. But she also supposed that that wasn't very fair of her. After all, he didn't even know about his watchful follower. As far as she knew.

Still, Martel knew she couldn't keep going like this. Her body would eventually give out on her. As much as she could figure, Resembool rested a hearty three-day-journey's distance from where they were now. Martel mentally groaned at that thought, and her body also groaned at the thought of all that extra effort.

Even as the snake chimera threw her own personal pity-party, she still had no clue what fate had in store for her. As fate would have it, Martel still had yet to face her largest obstacle. The climax of the assignment, if you will.


	25. Chapter 25

Golden Scales Chapter 25

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

A day had passed since I placed my call in Dublith. Instead of concrete and lampposts, Grass hugged the land and graceful willows arched over the river. Not unlike upside-down seaweed, the leaf-riddled vines swayed and danced in the current. In this particular portion of the river, a rainbow of green choked the earthen riverbed. With the moss, the weeds, the algae (was that the right word?), and the willow vines, I felt as if I was swimming through a creek rather than a river. It felt more… homey. Cozy. Tame, even.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed every inch of it.

This landscape seemed to stretch on forever. The further I swam, the denser the forest of vegetation grew. Of course, there were also a great many creatures in the river with me. Creatures that avoided me like the plague, and rightfully so in my opinion. Not that I didn't care for the fish. I'd just think it strange if they acted any other way.

As I passed through this part of the river, my mind floated off. I played many different scenarios in my head, over and over again until I came up with a solution for every imaginable problem. Not the healthiest way to spend my time, but I felt it necessary. And the peaceful environment helped me to clear my head just as the storm did.

Before long, the dense vegetation grew less and less dense as I swam further on. It appeared I had reached the end of that portion of the river when the green faded altogether. I passed the last willow tree as the walls of the river became bare once more.

I continued to swim. Although, after a while, I found myself growing a bit tired. This struck me as odd when the thought hit me. But then again, I didn't have the same stamina as humans did anymore. I remembered how I'd only eaten a few days ago, yet I still felt full. I supposed that rule went for sleep as well. Not that I minded.

After some time my muscles began to ache. my eyelids grew heavier with each fin-flick. The sunlight of the day declined, and the temperature dropped about ten degrees. I had to rub my arms just to stay warm enough to keep swimming. Eventually, I couldn't fight my fatigue any longer. With a drowsy thrash from my tailfin, I jetted to the side of the river. Here, I nestled into a large cave-like indent and bedded down for the night.

Much to the relief of my exhausted follower.

o.O.0.O.o

After a blissful ten consecutive hours of sleep, I awoke to a sight that should've only existed in a nightmare.

As soon as my hair picked up the unfamiliar onslaught of vibrations, my golden eyes snapped open and dilated. Panic seared my mind and body as I took in the horror. Through the murk of the water and the fog of my morning vision, my heart began pounding against my chest as I watched a familiar orange-metaled shape sink into the river. Connected to a reaching arm, a large bucket of sorts hinged back and forth. Sharp tines on the end of this bucket tore into the riverbed not five feet away from me.

Terrified, I thrashed my tailfin as hard as I could, desperately pinning myself against the back of the indent I'd nested in the night before. But the metal claw seemed to sense my movement, since a mere five seconds later the thing ceased its digging and came sailing right for me. Wasting no time, I scrambled out of its way just in time to avoid being run through with the sharpened tines. The claw proceeded to rip the wall of the river to shreds, where I had been just a few seconds before.

I didn't care to see more. I whipped around and darted southward. Unfortunately, that was when another one of those cursed things plunged into the water, narrowly missing me by inches.

 _What the hell?!_ I thought, _Are these things trying to kill me?!_

I got my answer a moment later when suddenly gigantic chunks of concrete and sharpened metal dumped themselves in my path. An avalanche of rock and steel divided the river and filled to the surface, completely cutting me off from the other side. And although I thought that this answer simply screamed "yes" to my mental question, above the surface, the humans weren't even aware of my presence as they worked to deconstruct an old bridge. This remained unknown to me, however, and I acted accordingly.

Giving up on heading south, I turned around and fought the river current to travel north. But as fate would have it, this series of unfortunate events had yet to finish its course. One last hurrah would bog me down before I resumed my journey to Resembool later that evening.

When I had finally found my groove and figured I was out of harm's way again, something put a stop to my movements very abruptly. A desperate gasp of agony fled my mouth, followed by an ear-shattering screech only a siren like me was capable of producing. Like ink, dark cobalt blue spread and plumed through the water. The color radiated from the same location as the intense pain: my tailfin.

Before a world of darkness swallowed me, I stole a glance backward just long enough to confirm what had happened. One of those steel beams had speared right through my tailfin and embedded itself into the riverbed. After a strong wince and a sob I failed to choke down, I saw no more.

o.O.0.O.o

Martel didn't even bother to stop and think. She just dived in. Her charge was in danger, and that was the only thing she registered. Her body took care of the rest.

Not a moment too soon after she saw the plume of blue, she dropped from her perch and vaulted into action. She disregarded the danger of getting crushed or speared herself and dove in after the siren. The snake chimera yanked the beam out and tossed it away within seconds, but that only succeeded in increasing the amount of blood pouring from the siren's wound. So she dragged him to shore and carried him off into the woods, away from prying eyes.

Once she deemed the area safe, she gingerly set him down on the ground and ripped her shirt apart for bandages. After that, it was all she could do not to murder him right then and there.

 _Stupid!_ She mentally screamed at him, _You lunatic! What the hell were you thinking?! You're going to give me a damn heart attack, kid! Don't you mind your own safety? 'Oh I think I'll just swim around in a demolition zone until I get crushed or speared by debris! Tra-la-la-la-la! ~'_

Martel drew in a large breath to calm herself. It didn't help much. Her heart still raced. Her nerves were still shot. Her head still pounded. But her dumbass charge was safe now. She supposed that that was all that should matter at that point.

A good half hour later, Martel finally winded down enough to relax again. In that time, she'd unwrapped the bandages to survey the damage. Her eyes shot open a little wider when she was greeted with the sight of healthy and thriving flesh. Just a missing patch of scales where the wound used to be. Even so, she knew sirens well enough. It didn't surprise her as much as it should have.

The snake chimera removed the bandages and stayed with the siren until the sun slid further across the sky. When bright blue faded to purple, and the demolition crew took the rest of the night off, Martel dumped him back into the river. By then, half the debris had been removed from the ruins, leaving the siren a sufficient opening for when he came to again.

o.O.0.O.o

I released a deep sigh for the ninth time that day. Warm southern winds painted the day with gorgeous weather. Insects buzzed about above the surface while river creatures moseyed about below. Not a single cloud marred the sky, leaving the sun room to bathe everything in rich morning gold. Birds chirped and sang, noises which wriggled their way even below the glassy surface of the river. With each breath I drew in, the scent of clay filled my nostrils. As I cut through the river, the water felt smooth and creamy against my scales; and even that lone patch of skin on my tailfin.

I noticed said patch the evening before, but thought nothing of it. I supposed it was simply due to the lack of salt intake.

Despite my beautiful environment, and the energy that charged the air along with it, I released yet another sigh. I flicked my fins with a little less force than the day before. Of course, my mood couldn't deter me from moving forward altogether, but it worked against me. And I knew exactly why it did so. I just figured that something small like this couldn't slow me down this much.

But it did. Right then, it served as a thousand pounds of shock and embarrassment. Since the moment I'd recognized the wood above the river, I dreaded to think of what would happen if Al didn't believe me. Or if Al did believe me, but didn't accept me. I had been given time to make peace with it. Time which was spent without biased thoughts from my past. But Al would only be given two choices: accept or deny.

I hoped to God he wouldn't choose the latter.

After thoroughly stressing myself out thinking this, I ran my webbed hands through my hair. The sensory information the strands sent to me were comforting. It reminded me of the present, the now. What was happening now was what I should be focusing on. I spent the next few hours of travel imagining what could go right instead.

Before long my fins had carried me all the way to a familiar bend of the river. From where I stopped I could see the mouth of the forest, the grassy plains, and the distant shape of the Rockbell house. I drew in a sharp gasp when I caught sight of two figures standing on the west side of the river.

In a dream-like state, I flicked my fins to bring myself closer to the figures. Now I could see them a little clearer. The sight of the first figure sent an actual electric shock through my body: long blonde hair tied up in a messy ponytail, a grease-spattered pants with a jacket secured around her waist, a black crop-top, and an irritated expression marring her usually softened features. A wrench glittered menacingly in her white-knuckled grip. I swallowed a girlish squeak. At the sight of the second figure, every bit of tension fled my body: Alphonse, my baby brother, intact and rust-free. The armor held his arms in such a way that made him look like a mother scorning her child. His hip was slightly popped in that usual sassy manner. I muffled a small laugh and shook my head.

I was glad to see that Alphonse had remained his usual girlish self.

And it was because of that that I was able to muster enough courage to do what I did next. Seeing my innocent baby brother, and my enraged mechanic, brought me out of the oppressive nervousness that had been holding me back before. I drew in one final deep breath and released it slowly.

After opening my eyes again, I allowed my powerful tailfin to propel me to the surface.


	26. Chapter 26

Golden Scales Chapter 26

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

If Alphonse had lungs, he might've sighed out of impatience right then. Judging by the position of the sun, they'd been standing there for almost three hours. Alphonse specifically remembered Edward telling him he'd be there by noon. Of course, he wouldn't rip his head off for being a bit late, but it still irritated him. And worried him. At this point, the armor had to force his thoughts from wandering towards pessimistic assumptions.

Twice, Winry had traveled back to the house for unmentionable reasons (using the bathroom). This gave Alphonse a rough idea of how much time actually passed since they first came out here. That and the sun. Even so, Alphonse might've actually preferred not knowing. At least then he couldn't count every second of his misery.

Despite himself, Alphonse hoped Edward would return to them in perfect shape. For a moment, the armor allowed himself to daydream. But no amount of daydreaming could change the fact that Edward himself told him he'd look different when he returned. That was another thing that had engraved itself into his brain. Over the course of the last few days, Alphonse fretted over this. What could his brother mean by that? Did he lose something besides another limb? An eye? His hair? Or could he have gained something? Perhaps he was exposed to too much radiation and grew an extra limb?

Either way, Alphonse was prepped and ready to handle anything this new appearance had in store. At least, Alphonse liked to think he was ready. Deep down, he couldn't deny a horrible sense of dread. But he also couldn't deny his undying excitement to see his brother alive and with him again for the first time in weeks. He remembered how much relief that phone call brought to him. And how horrible of a state of mind he'd been in before the call. Anxiety and worry had practically consumed him, before Edward's voice washed it all away.

Yes. Alphonse liked to think he was ready. But come time, he'd realize just how sorely wrong he was in that respect.

o.O.0.O.o

Instead of observing them as I went, I chose to focus on my task first. As soon as my head broke the surface, I clamped my hands onto the grassy shore. Then I proceeded to haul my heavy body up onto the land shelf, and then finally I dragged my whole tail out of the water and panted there for a moment. While I did this, I could hear gasps coming from above me, and the creaking of armor.

When I raised my gaze to meet theirs I noticed they jumped back a few feet out of surprise. Their eyes and posture said it all: completely gob-smacked.

A long pause of awkward silence buzzed in my ears before I gave them a lop-sided smile and said,

"Hey, guys."

At the sound of my voice, Winry gave another sharp gasp, but Alphonse stayed still and silent. My mechanic began shaking terribly. She even dropped her wrench.

"Y-you… but… h-he…. w-w-we t-tho—" Winry stuttered.

Before she could form a proper sentence, her eyes turned a misty hue of gray. Not a second later her knees gave and she fainted into the grass with a soft thump.

A small hiss of pity left my lips before I moved my dripping hair out of my eyes again. I looked up at my brother's armor again and noted that he still had yet to speak, or even move. The glowing red dots in the helmet seemed to scan my very soul when my eyes met them. The uncharacteristic silence and stillness of my brother sent a spire of guilt piercing my stomach.

"Al?" I said cautiously, "Are you alright? What's wrong? It's me, Ed—"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" the armor suddenly shouted, voice cracked with emotion, "STOP THAT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

I blinked and lowered my posture in shame. "S-stop what, Al?"

"STOP USING HIS VOICE! You're _not_ him, so stop acting like it! How DARE you trick me?! You should be ashamed of yourself! Y-You filthy creature! Why don't you just slither back into the hell-hole you crawled out of?! And don't you EVER use Brother's voice again!"

The armor took a few shaky steps back, and despite his lack of a body, I could hear sobbing noises emanating from the helmet. It was then that I felt something break inside of me. The horrible realization hit me like a mountain of bricks: Al refused to believe it was me. Al thought it was all a trick. A twisted lie. I lost all of my composure when I choked down my own sob. My voice wavered unsteadily as I spoke again.

"A-Alphonse, I swear I'm not tricking you. I really am Edward Elric, you just have to believe—"

"Believe?" the armor cut me off, "You expect me to believe that you're really my brother?!"

"Please, Al, Just hear me out—"

"NO! No, I won't hear you out! My brother isn't a half-fish freak! He's a human being, just like me! And nothing's ever going to change that!"

I winced at the word "freak." Still, I shoved down the pain and continued.

"Look, Al. I _am_ your brother. And I can prove it if you'll just—"

"SHUT UP!" Alphonse shouted angrily, "I won't listen to another second of this!"

I watched in shock as the armor paced towards Winry, lifted her limp form, and began heading towards the house. Instead of falling into a pit of despair like a normal person would have, my fists clenched. My blood began to boil beneath my scales. My sharpened shark-like teeth gnashed together. My entire body shook in rage. Finally, I opened my mouth and screamed:

"DAMMIT, AL! GET YOUR ASS BACK OVER HERE RIGHT NOW! BEFORE I RIP OFF YOUR LEGS AND STICK EM' ON YOUR HEAD!"

As soon as I finished my yell, the armor abruptly halted. Three seconds ticked by before Alphonse twisted around to look back at me, Winry still fast asleep in his arms.

"W-what did you just s-say?" Alphonse asked in a shaky near-whispering voice.

"You heard what I said." I replied, rage still evident in my doubled tone.

After a long pause, the armor took a few wavering steps to turn himself around. Then he continued to walk slowly towards the river again. Once he reached five feet away from me, he gently set Winry's sleeping form in the grass, but remained standing.

I drew a breath, but it didn't calm me in the least bit.

"Are you sure Edward was human, Al?" I continued, "Are you sure _you_ were human? Can you really stand there and tell me with confidence that there was absolutely nothing strange about either of you?"

The armor remained silent for a while, as if pondering that question deeply. After a good ten seconds, he answered, "No…"

I nodded and went on. "Do you remember when I— er, I mean Edward dug up that conch shell in the backyard? Do you remember how he showed it to Mom and all of you, even Mom, could hear seagulls?"

A light gasp sounded behind the armor's helmet, and Al slowly lowered himself into a sitting position. "… Yes."

"Do you remember, just a little while ago, when the ridges along Edward's neck opened? And how his limbs began regenerating?"

Inside the helmet, I could hear his "breath" waver and shift with emotion.

I sighed. "I lost my memory after I went missing. And I've had time to make peace with… all of this… But you? You didn't have any time at all. And I'm sorry about that, Al. But… this is the truth."

This time, the pause lasted a lot longer. Centuries seemed to pass by as Alphonse seemingly submerged himself in thought. My scales were officially dry when my brother's helmet rose to meet my gaze again.

"…E-Ed…?"

My ear-fins perked up a bit. I expected my brother to ask me if it was really me, or some emotional statement of the sort. But the last thing I ever expected to hear right then rang through the helmet and past its metal crevices.

"You're short."

Before I even had time to process what my brother had said, pure, untamed rage flooded my mind and shoved everything else aside.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD LIVE ON A FLOATING DUST PARTICLE?!"

Not a moment too soon after I finished my short rant, Alphonse's armored shoulders lost every bit of tension they previously held. And if I had known what my brother would do next, I might've tried to squirm back into the river before the damage could be done.

The armor abruptly stood up, closed the distance between us, and then proceeded to lift me into the air. I pinched out a few choking breaths as the armor squeezed me and twirled around.

"BROTHER! It really _is_ you!" he giggled as he did this.

"Alpho— Al, I can't… can't breathe!"

The armor stopped twirling and loosened his grip. "O-Oh! Sorry, Brother! I'm just so happy to see you!"

I glanced down at the ground and noticed just how far away I was from it. And how loosely my brother held me now.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, tightening my own grip on the armor, "I'm happy to see you, too. Now… let's not drop me, okay?"

A delighted laugh slipped through Alphonse's helmet. "Sure thing, Brother."

Then the armor proceeded to lift a still-unconscious Winry across his other shoulder, and with both loved ones in hand he headed for the Rockbell house.


	27. Chapter 27

Golden Scales Chapter 27

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

After Alphonse brought them inside, he set Winry down on the reading chair, and Edward down on the couch. Pinako had not yet returned from the basement, where she'd been working on a customer's automail leg nearly the whole day. Dreading to part from his newly found brother for even a moment, the armor reluctantly tore himself away to shut off the stove in the kitchen. A bubbling pot of chicken noodle soup sat atop the grate, overcooked and overflowing with boil-foam.

The armor returned to the living room, but before he could say anything, unmistakable tick sounds erupted from the far side of the house. Alphonse whirled around just in time to see Den the dog barreling into the room. Not towards him or Winry, but Edward.

His brother's golden eyes widened. "Den? W-Wait, no! DEN! Arhg! GET OFF, YOU SLOBBERY MUTT!"

A little bit of laughter marred his cries, making the scene all that more adorable. Alphonse giggled as he observed the two. This continued for what felt like only a few moments to Al, but in reality four minutes passed before Edward successfully shoved the dog off of him. Once he did so, he sat up in a human-like sitting position.

Alphonse took the awkward silence as an opportunity to ask his brother some gnawing questions.

"So, Brother, how—"

"Look, Al," Edward cut him off, "Before you say anything, I want you to know that I'm sorry."

Alphonse tilted his helmet, taken aback. "Huh? Sorry for what?"

Edward lowered his head, shading his expression with his long, long hair. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this. I'm sorry I wasn't able to get back to you sooner. I'm sorry I couldn't avoid leaving."

"What… W-What are you saying, Brother? You left on _purpose_?"

Edward looked up at him again, his hairless brow furrowed. "What?! Of course not!"

"Then why did you say you 'couldn't avoid leaving'?"

"I didn't mean it like that, Al! I— Look, the only reason I said that is because I sort of knew it would happen."

"'Sort of?'" Al questioned.

"Yes." Edward explained, "Winry showed me an article in this book, and it said that this happened before. That the person went missing after a while. If I had just listened I could've prepared for that. Then I might've been able to avoid being kidnapped."

Alphonse stood up abruptly. "KIDNAPPED?! You were kidnapped?!"

Edward's eyes widened. "Al, calm down! It wasn't like—"

Alphonse placed his gauntlets on his helmet in panic, completely ignoring his brother. "Kidnapped? So someone else knows about all this? What if they come back, what if they… Oh no. We have to tell the Colonel!"

Finally, Edward clenched his fists and shouted, "ALPHONSE! Stop panicking! They're not coming back, and we're not telling ANYONE about this until I say so!"

The armor halted and looked at his brother. The metal joints lost their stiffness after a while. The younger made a sigh noise. "R-Right. S-Sorry, Brother."

"Mhnmmm…" hummed a new voice.

The brothers looked over to see Winry sitting upright, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She blinked a couple of times and opened her eyes to narrowed, unfocused slits. Edward held his breath as he observed her sluggish movements. Alphonse remained stark still, watching and waiting.

Finally, that fuzzy gray color left her eyes, and her gaze focused. When Edward noticed this he cringed, awaiting the reaction, the scream, the flying wrench, something. But what really happened was far from what he expected. After hearing and feeling nothing for a good long five seconds, he removed his shaky hands from his neck and peered up at his mechanic.

Tears.

He saw tears streaming down her face. Yet, her expression was completely relaxed. Her beautiful azure eyes were staring right at him, yet they also seemed to be looking miles upon miles away. Nonetheless, he hated it when anyone cried. Especially Winry.

"H-Hey…" he ventured carefully, "Please, don't cry. What's wrong, Winry?"

As soon as his voice flooded the room, the stream of tears only seemed to fall thicker. Alphonse took a gentle step forward, trying not to scare her.

"Winry," he whispered, "It's okay. Brother is here now."

The girl shut her eyes and choked down a few sobs. She bent her head down and stayed like that for a moment. Then she sniffed and opened her eyes again. She fished out what looked like a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket. She stared at it for a bit, and then began looking back and forth between it and Edward, as if comparing them, or verifying something.

Before either brother could say anything, she stood suddenly, albeit on wobbly legs. Once she gained her footing, she slowly made her way to the couch and stopped in front of Edward. He could only stare up at her and watch. She sniffed a few more times before slipping the paper back into her pocket.

Then, shocking both brothers, Winry surged forward and wrapped Edward in a tight embrace. Alphonse released his "breath" and relaxed his armor. Edward could only blink in confusion and hug her back as she began to sob into his scaly shoulder.

"D-Don't…" she muttered between sobs, "D-Don't you e-ever leave me again…"

Edward's confused expression replaced itself with understanding and compassion. He returned her embrace and whispered,

"Don't worry. I won't."

o.O.0.O.o

After a while, Winry released her embrace and sat beside him on the couch, still sniffling every other moment. Alphonse, deeming it safe now, stepped a little closer to her and asked,

"So… What was that paper you were looking at?"

Winry blinked for a second. Then her expression cleared as she retrieved it from her pocket. "It… It's a picture, I think. A picture of you guys. Back when you still lived in your mom's house…. I snuck into one of the chests and found this. I've… kept it ever since."

She handed it to Edward, whose eyes widened significantly when he saw it. Alphonse rounded the couch to see the picture, and made a gasp noise when he did see it.

"I thought it was some kind of painting," she went on, "But… I guess it's real."

In the picture, two small children were nestled in each parent's arms. A large, golden-haired man smiled and held a wide-eyed, thumb-sucking Alphonse, assumedly. Their mother, Trisha, held a squirming Edward, who was tugging on his mother's hair. The family sat in the sand to the right of what appeared to be ocean shore. Behind them were smooth coast-boulders, and in the sand beneath them lay randomly scattered seashells.

Their father looked like a normal human being, save for his golden irises. But the rest of the family appeared far more enchanting.

Trisha Elric sported her usual chocolate-brown hair, although it was much, much longer. Her sea-green eyes still sparkled with the same warmth as they ever had. Replacing her skin, however, faded brown/tan scales covered the entirety of her body, including her face. Darkened stripes decorated her sides, arms, and tail. Fins jutted from where her ears should've been, and webbing connected her elongated fingers. Her lips were closed with a small smile.

Edward, looking more like a girl than a boy, possessed beautiful golden hair and irises, like his father. He and Alphonse both had the same structure as their mother. Although, in his struggle to yank out his mother's hair, Edward's mouth was pried open in a cry. Inside of that mouth lay one row of teeth on each jaw, all of which were small and sharpened to points. Like shark teeth.

"I always wondered about this," Winry continued, "And when those ridges on your neck opened… I thought… just maybe…"

She laughed and shook her head. "I guess I was right."

Edward reluctantly tore his eyes off the photograph to look up at her. "You mean… you knew?"

"I hoped," she corrected, "I never once fully believed it. Until now."

Before he could reply, Winry wrapped him in another embrace, looser this time. "Thank you. Thank you for proving that I'm not crazy."

"Y-You're welcome."

Alphonse, the only one not completely smothered in emotion at the moment, heard a slight creak on the far side of the room. He looked up and noticed Pinako standing in the doorway, stiffened spine, eyes wide, and jaw dropped.

"Granny," he greeted.

The two teens on the couch snapped their heads up and followed Alphonse's line of sight. The old woman merely remained there, stark still and shocked.

"H-Hi, Granny," Edward greeted awkwardly.

The woman's eyes only widened more at the sound of Edward's voice. Then, surprising everyone, she grabbed a broom and charged into the room screaming. Edward, startled, nearly fell off the couch, while Winry and Alphonse attempted to stop her. They failed.

Pinako was soon whacking poor Edward with the bristle end of the broom, screaming, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU EVIL DEMON!"

Edward could do nothing as the woman continued to attack him with the broom. Winry and Alphonse eventually had to grab the broom from her and sit her in the chair. But even then she began throwing things at the frightened creature on the couch.

o.O.0.O.o

Martel had to refrain from releasing an evil laugh as she watched the old woman attack her former charge. The scene was comical and enjoyable for her to observe. As far as she was concerned, that damned siren deserved every whack. In a way, she was relieved that the scene broke in such a violent manner. All of that mushy emotional sobbing churned her stomach. As a snake chimera, such a display was quite off-putting.

Nonetheless, she was happy for him. Happy that he finally returned to his family. Something Martel would never be able to do. Not with blood family, anyhow.

She didn't care about blood family, though. In her opinion, her family with the other chimeras and Greed was her only real family. Home is where the heart is, and with them she was home.

A smile quirked her lips as she realized that she could return to said family, now. Her charge was safe. Her move on the chessboard was completed. They were one step closer to enacting Envy's plan and defeating Father. In just a few short months, victory would be theirs, and the homunculi (except for Greed) would be freed. Returned to their original state as human beings.

With a relieved sigh, she took one last glance at her former charge. Then she moved away from the window altogether and began her journey back to Dublith.


	28. Chapter 28

Golden Scales Chapter 28

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

A month passed somewhat peacefully in the Rockbell house. Certain adjustments had to be made, of course, along with a few phone calls to discourage visits. Pinako aborted Edward's check-up with Mr. Harrison. Winry disbanded the other search parties. It had been left up to Alphonse to figure out what lame excuse they'd give Mustang and the team. Edward decided that someday he'd tell them, and that they deserved to know, but he didn't want them involved with anything just yet.

So Alphonse took the liberty of telling them that Edward needed some space for a while. As soon as he was ready he'd give them a call. The Colonel bought it, no questions asked.

After everything had been settled regarding the search party, they worked on settling into a daily routine again. Unsurprisingly, Edward was the only one who really struggled with this. Although Winry would argue that getting over the fact that one lives with a fish-person posed a worthy challenge as well.

No few days had been as horribly awkward and embarrassing as the first three for Edward. Since his awakening on the train, he'd eaten nothing but fish, and his stomach digested it gladly. But as fate would have it, he'd have to discover a whole laundry list of things he could no longer eat. Each item would be added to that list after a sure vomiting session. For him, a miserable process, but Alphonse pointed out that it was better off knowing than not knowing, and to try everything in the house just to be safe.

His troubles did not solely extend to the establishment of this laundry list of don't-eats, either. Even just moving about the house exceeded his capabilities. A train car was one thing, but a house? Forget it. When his house mates noticed this on the first day, to his dismay, Alphonse volunteered to carry him around everywhere. When Edward refused, he insisted. Edward had no real option or a way of denying help, so he choked down his pride and allowed his baby brother to transport him through the day.

Edward loathed this with all of his heart, but Alphonse didn't mind it one bit. In fact, he said it made him feel a little less useless. The elder brother didn't want to make him feel useless again, but he missed his independence. Eventually, Alphonse understood this and began undertaking the challenge to help him achieve independence again. The rest of his house mates decidedly chipped in on this.

Before long, a large pool was built in the basement, separated from the operating room by a concrete wall. Windows were dug and fitted, walls were smoothed over and painted, and they tiled the floor with patterns of Winry's choosing. The pool itself ran deep with elaborate alcoves and house-like structures made out of cement. All of the shaping had been done with Alphonse's alchemy, of course. Once they'd completed Edward's new "room" there was nothing left but upkeep.

Whenever Edward needed something, or wanted to leave the pool to eat or read, he'd shout up a metal tube that ran from the basement to the living room upstairs. Alphonse would then come down to fetch him. Still, Edward spent most of his time upstairs during the day. No matter how livable and inviting they made his pool room, he preferred being with people.

As far as adjustment went, they all managed a regular routine within two short weeks. Only Winry would sometimes scream when she first saw Edward for the day. Although even that faded after a while.

When Edward deemed the situation stable, he allowed his house mates to question him to their hearts' content. And so he told them everything.

He remembered how Alphonse felt sorry for the witches. Both brothers could sympathize because they knew what it was like to lose someone important. In this respect, Winry, too, could understand their cause. Yet she remained distrustful towards them anyway, for reasons Edward could not fathom. Reasons he wouldn't fathom for a long time, being a dense, thick-headed guy as he was.

When Edward mentioned the homunculi, Alphonse set himself into panic-mode again. Only when Edward told him they wouldn't come until the winter solstice did Alphonse successfully pull himself out of it. Winry and Pinako both found this particularly alarming as well. Although Edward assured all of them that they'd be ready for them by then.

In the time it took for everyone to adjust those first two weeks, Edward spent his nights mapping out a plan to bring down the homunculi. Once they were taken care of, everything else would fall into place.

Pinako of course, would be house-sitting with Den during everything, but Winry and Alphonse were all for it. In fact, Winry seemed excited to finally be involved with the Elric brothers' affairs.

He explained what Beth told him about the homunculi taking someone. So Edward decided that they could combat that and take their enemy by surprise. By the time the winter solstice arrives, they'd already be long gone. They'd leave about two months in advance to find the witches in Aerugo. In this, Winry was less than pleased, but she reluctantly agreed.

Finally, with the witches by their side, they'd travel to the South Sea to meet the enemy head-on, bringing the fight to them. They'd defeat the homunculi, take down this Father person, retrieve the Moon Stone, and set everything in order again.

By the end of the discussion it had been decided that Winry would learn to fight. At first, Pinako refused. Eventually though, after a long three days of begging on Winry's part, the old woman gave in on the promise that the boys wouldn't let her do anything too reckless or dangerous. Something about preserving the Rockbell legacy, and, of course, the safety of her only granddaughter.

And so the following days were spent finalizing their plans, calculating transportation costs, passports, and back-up plans for the back-up plans. They gave Winry a choice between classic fighting styles or alchemy. Seeing as how she wanted nothing to do with alchemy or guns, she chose a simpler weapon: a lumber axe.

Initially, they tried to convince her that her grandfather's old hunting rifle would be more reliable. But every doubt they had dissolved once she'd been given a chance to spar with Alphonse. As it turned out, she was pretty handy with that axe. In more ways than one.

Yet, Pinako insisted she take the rifle as well. Just in case.

Edward could tell Winry was excited about using that axe for something other than wood. Even now, as he pondered the last month on the edge of his pool in the basement, he could hear her going at it with Alphonse in the backyard. The windows were open and the breeze fluttered the curtains. Sounds and scents of the beautiful summer day flooded his room, along with Winry's screams and grunts of effort as she practiced fighting.

Edward yearned to be outside again. But that just wasn't possible anymore. Not unless they built a fence or something. And even then some random automail costumer might let themselves in and see him.

He also missed sparring with Alphonse. He couldn't fight the way he used to anymore. He couldn't even perform alchemy anymore, something he discovered shortly after his return to Resembool. His house mates were devastated, but Edward didn't see it so much as a loss as something else gained. He just hadn't figured out what he gained yet. At least, that's what he liked to think.

Nonetheless, he knew he gained one thing for sure: electricity. So far, he only used it a few times, and those few times were spent gathering food. Now he knew that, when it came time, he'd have to use it to fight. If it killed fish within a range of ten feet then surely it was powerful enough to use in ranged combat, right?

Even so, he knew he'd have to watch what he was doing, lest he zap Winry or one of the witches by mistake.

Edward sighed and closed his eyes. He allowed himself a moment to breathe, and time to relax. Since his return to Resembool, he couldn't tear his mind away from the plan for more than a few hours at a time. Now that they'd gotten through all of the rough details they could take it easy and focus on refining those details. Yet, Edward still thought it his job to oversee everything. In his mind, everything fell on his shoulders. He knew this wasn't true, but he couldn't convince his brain of this.

In an attempt to take his mind off the plan, he stared down at the designs painted on the tiles. They were all things that he couldn't see outside the walls of the Rockbell house anymore. Towns, cities, people, wildflowers, animals, trains, forests, landmarks, tourist attractions, and all sorts of other things. A kind attempt at showing him the world, but Edward had seen it all in person before. He knew the paintings on the tiles could never live up to the actual people, places, and things. He smiled at Winry's artwork anyway.

Just the other day, Edward told his house mates that he couldn't stay forever. That someday, somehow, the wrong person could see him and it would all be over. To his surprise they understood this. But they were all agreeably stumped as to what they'd do when that finally did happen. Winry suggested they move the Aerugo, but that issue was still up in the air at this point. They were thinking too far ahead. They needed to take care of the now before they moved onto such matters.

Another sigh escaped Edward's lips as he tore his gaze away from Winry's tile designs. An hour later, Winry and Alphonse came back inside. Deciding he wanted to read that passage about the Moon Stone one more time, he called for his brother to come get him as soon as he heard the door shut.


	29. Chapter 29

Golden Scales Chapter 29

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

It was right around midday. Warm sunshine streamed in through the open windows, bleaching the floorboards with squares of concentrated light. Chilly but pleasant breezes rolled over the room like fog. With those breezes came the woodsy scent of the upcoming autumn season. An annoying array of noise pulsed from Winry's new wind-chime, but lounging in the chair I merely flicked my ear-fin and continued reading.

For once, I was not upset, angry, or stressed. My shoulders no longer possessed their usual tension. My expression remained relaxed. I even swished my tail back and forth as I consumed the volume in my hands. Adding to my aura, Den lay snuggled on my lap instead of the sunspot on the floor. I didn't even mind this. Ever since my return to Resembool, Den had seemingly decided that I was his favorite person to sleep on. After a while, I grew accustomed to the dog's presence.

And so I read my book without a care in the world. Not even the wind-chimes could draw out the slightest bit of irritation. But, of course, a moment like this couldn't go undisturbed for long.

 _RIIIING!_

Every nerve in my body jumped, as well as the dog on my lap. Den whined as my book hit the floor with an unceremonious plop. Ignoring this, I glared daggers at the telephone stationed atop the table right next to me. I growled slightly before yanking the receiver off the stand and answering,

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Colonel Roy Mustang. I'm calling to check on— Wait, Fullmetal?! Is that you?"

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. All I could think to reply was, "Uhhhh…..No?"

The voice on the other end chuckled. "Very funny, Fullmetal. I know that's you. I'm actually glad you picked up. How are you doing?"

I could practically feel the fluid oozing from my gills. "W-What do you care, Bastard?!"

"I care because you're my subordinate, Edward," the man answered earnestly, "Also, you went missing for three weeks, came back, and then locked yourself in your mechanic's house for a month. That sounds pretty fishy to me."

I drew in a light gasp. My world seemed to slow to a crawl. Did he know? How did he find out? A thousand questions swirled in my head, but before I could make sense of them Mustang continued,

"You know, the team's been taking bets on how long it's going to take you to come back to Central. I've got money on a few more weeks."

Come back? He expected me to come back? I relaxed a little. Maybe he didn't know after all.

I sighed and gripped the receiver a bit tighter. "Well, Mustang… It looks like everyone is losing that bet. I… I-I'm not coming back."

A short pause. Then he asked, "What do you mean you're 'not coming back'? Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No… not exactly."

A sigh could be heard from the other end. "Look, Fullmetal, whatever it is I'm sure we can fix it. You'll be back on your feet in no time. I've even saved a few possible leads for you guys."

I was about to shout at him to just drop it. But then I stopped myself and thought for a bit. In the long term, I would be very, very glad that I did stop to think. Because had I not stopped to think, a certain realization might not have occurred to me at that crucial point in time in my life. A realization that would not only save my tail, but Al's as well.

And after it finally clicked in my head, the sensation of sheer relief would be engraved into my brain forever. The best sensation in the world. The feeling of every weight on one's shoulders being lifted. The feeling of one's lifetime of problems and stress being washed away. The feeling of a holy spirit's hand offering ultimate salvation and forgiveness, and mustering enough of one's courage and self-forgiveness to take that hand.

When the realization finally hit me, every bit of pain, sorrow, and lingering guilt burned to ashes. Every single muscle in my body relaxed. I dropped the receiver and fell into the chair, where I stared at the ceiling for a good long while. Even the faint voice of the man on the other end could not rip me from this dreamy state. It took me a solid minute to finally notice the world around me, and that my phone call with Colonel Roy Mustang had not yet ended.

Said man had begun to become impatient with the silence. When my newly freed gaze flicked to the receiver again, the man's irritated voice was threatening to send a troop over to the Rockbell house to find me. Finally, my vision focused again, and the world resumed spinning.

I picked up the receiver again and quickly said, "Those leads won't be necessary, Mustang."

"…and if I get word that you— Wait, what?"

"The leads won't be necessary," I repeated, my smile evident in my voice, "You want to know why?"

Mustang sighed impatiently. "Why, Fullmetal?"

Emotion seemed to choke me. I didn't even care that a small tear welled in my bottom left eyelid as I savored the truth in my next words.

"I've already found a way to get Al's body back."

o.O.0.O.o

I wore a dreamy half-smile as I returned the receiver to the stand. After a few more minutes of speaking with my former commanding officer, we'd arranged a visit for them to come see Al after we retrieved his body. I had mentally decided that that sounded like a good time to tell them the truth. Or rather, show them.

Not long after I hung up the phone, the sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel driveway floated through the windows. Instinctively, I whipped my head around to see who it was and prepared myself to slip down the shouting chute in case it wasn't one of my housemates. However, this time, when my gaze met three figures in the driveway, I relaxed and slunk back into my previous position.

A few moments later, Pinako, Winry and Alphonse slipped through the front door, burdened with large grocery bags. Den launched himself off of me (kicking me in the stomach in the process) and bounded happily into the kitchen to greet them. I remained in the chair, rubbing my stomach as I watched my housemates organize the groceries.

Eventually, things settled down again. By the time Winry poked her head in the living room to check on me, my dreamy half-smile had returned.

"What are you smiling about, Ed?" she asked, a smile of her own stretching her lips.

Alphonse stepped into the room. "Brother! You wouldn't believe what we found at— Ed? What's so funny?"

A contented sigh escaped me before I answered, "Oh nothing really… I just figured something out is all. I'll tell you later."

The two standing in the doorway shared a glance and shrugged. Alphonse continued, "So we found this old lady at the market who was selling—"

From that point forward, I was only half-listening. How could I pay attention when something so much bigger occupied my mind? Nevertheless, I nodded and made comments as my brother related his tale. Later. I'd tell them later.

Much, much later. When it counted the most.

o.O.0.O.o

A man in casual attire sat hunched over an aged wooden desk, staring intently at the many parchments and maps that lay spread across its surface. The space in which he occupied was poorly lit, but the man didn't seem to care. He squinted through the dim illumination without relent, scanning the pages and landmarks ferociously. His state of mind couldn't quite be described as desperate, but it was damn close. He teetered between resulting to drastic measures and disbanding the cause altogether. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought he'd be where he was now.

And where he was now wasn't exactly the best place to be.

The man released a sigh as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. His brown, short hair. Until recently, he took great pride in his abilities to change so easily. It had been the only real thing he had going for him. Now it just made him look like a joke. A con. A lie. And he couldn't even stomach the thought of returning to his natural state anymore. Not when that part of him had been the last monster that thousands upon thousands of innocent souls had seen before departing this world by his hands.

His natural state had become somewhat of a taboo to him now. In that image he saw a demon. A ruthless demon on puppetry strings, abiding by the will of his masterful "father." His lip curled up in disgust at the thought of that despicable creature now. The first homunculus. The dwarf in the flask. The power-hungry rat that sought to end the world as they knew it. His natural state only served to remind William of what that thing did to him.

And what William did under his command.

The man winced, as he always did as his mind glanced over that thought. He shook his head vigorously to rid his mind of it. Drawing in a deep breath, he refocused on his maps. His hazel eyes scanned the parchment critically, gleaning whatever new knowledge they could find from it.

It had already been established that Beth would remain "loyal" to Father and act as a spy for them. It was in this area that her expertise was put to good use. Allister would be their hound, so to speak. He'd keep a nose out for the siren and its movements. Greed would work to prevent any unforeseen happenings, meaning he'd intervene should any outside forces disrupt their progress. Which left William in charge of planning out their courses of action once they gained enough strength.

At the moment, they only had enough manpower to knock out the other homunculi. Although, if William could convince Selena to join their cause, they'd be in a lot better shape. And with Beth on their side, they may be able to convince the siren himself to fight, and just maybe the witch sisters.

William knew it was wishful thinking, but they had to try.

Just as he began tracing possible railway routes on his maps, the doors flew open and the sound of unmistakable clicking heels hastened into the small study. William whirled around to see Beth struggling to catch her breath.

"They…. He's… I saw…" she panted.

William rolled his eyes. "What is it, Beth? Spit it out!"

She straightened. "They're sending Sloth! They're taking him _now_!"

In that short moment after the last word left the woman's lips, the world seemed to zoom in on William's terrified expression. His hazel eyes couldn't have opened any wider, and his lungs couldn't have filled any higher. Through the panicked and jumbled mess of his brain, he picked out and asked but one question.

"Where is he."


	30. Chapter 30

Golden Scales Chapter 30

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

The day of departure had finally arrived. The train rumbled to life and lumbered down the steel tracks at a leisurely pace. Only when we'd cleared Resembool's boarders did we begin to pick up speed. Even then, we chugged along at a slower rate than I would've liked.

A great many things contributed to my growing anxiousness, but most of it came from my eagerness to restore my brother's body. Since the day my former commanding officer called, I had dreamed and dreamed of the moment I finally got to see my baby brother's smile again. When I managed to find this mysterious Moon Stone, that would be the very first thing I'd do with it.

However, a nagging feeling in my stomach told me that nothing could ever be that easy. Especially for me. At the back of my mind, I knew that something had to be done about the homunculi first. I knew very well that they, too, wanted the Stone. And they planned on using me to get it.

I hoped that by leaving ahead of time and finding the witches again, we'd, at the very least, throw "Father's" plans off. I still had yet to see a homunculus in person, if Beth wasn't one of them herself. I wasn't sure what a battle with them would look like, or how much power we needed to fend them off. I knew the witches had managed to escape two of them with a fair amount of minor injuries, but they could fight. They were witches with eons of magic up their sleeves. Where did that leave me? Where did that leave Al and Winry?

I sighed. I curled up further into myself, a pitiful attempt to make more room in my crammed container. It had been Winry's brilliant idea to shove me into a box and toss me in with the livestock. A smart way to avoid raised eyebrows, but a miserable passing for me. The entire car reeked of musty wool, mud-caked fur, and feces. Loud and unintelligent noises bounced off the walls at random. Both doors had been shut, so even if I bothered to peer through the cracks of my box I couldn't see much of anything beyond a few feet of myself.

When we were still getting packed and ready at the house, I had been somewhat excited to be on a train again. In my naive little head, I pictured the ride identical to my time with the witches. Only, with the absence of said witches. It hadn't occurred to me just how dangerous that was. The witches were seasoned veterans at such things, but Alphonse and Winry weren't.

It was just another reason we needed to find the witches before the winter solstice.

With that last notion, I decidedly slunk into a thoughtless state. A state in which I remained for the better part of that day. Twice, Alphonse had slipped through the doors and over the car-link to check on me. Three times a loose goat prattling around the train car had climbed atop my box and planted its rear there for a good long while. Once I could've sworn I heard an almost-human scream coming from outside the train somewhere.

Just when I would've floated off to sleep, a noise startled every animal in the car. The train had shown no signs of stopping, or even slowing down. So it understandably set me on edge to hear one of the doors sliding open, and two sets of footsteps quietly entering the car.

o.O.0.O.o

Alphonse was already plugging through his second novel before he noticed him. There, across the train in the seat against the back wall, a rather suspicious character snoozed the day away. Normally, the armor wouldn't have cared. A lot of people looked suspicious. Some were actually up to no good, however, most of them were ordinary people with a lot on their minds. But something about this particular man struck him as odd… and familiar.

The man was dressed in a typical business suit, briefcase next to him on the seat and all, and a black fedora shadowed his eyes. The small spikes of hair poking out of the bottom of the brim were charcoal black, his skin pale but fair, and Alphonse could not see eye color through his closed eyelids.

But none of that was odd. What was odd was the way he held himself as he slept. His shoulders were slightly tense, both feet were firmly planted on the floor, and he stirred at the slightest noise. If Alphonse hadn't known any better, he'd say the man expected to fight.

After carefully watching the man for a few more moments, he turned his attention back to his book. Every now and again he'd steal a glance as he continued to read.

Mere minutes passed before suddenly the car jostled sideways, startling most of the passengers and himself. This was when Winry finally jarred awake. Even so, she looked about the car with an unfocused, half-lidded gaze before slinking back into her seat again. If Alphonse had lips, a soft smile would've spread across them right then.

Over the last few weeks since the inception of their fighting lessons, Winry had undergone a series of notable changes. Alphonse suspected the new involvement in their affairs would inject a little more vigor into her, though not as much as it actually had. What he thought might've chipped away at the dam over time demolished the structure in just a few short hours, sending forth an enormous torrent of energy and potential. If it hadn't been for their tactful guidance and control, the flood may have damaged everything they'd worked for thus far and hindered their progress. Most of all, Winry's progress.

At the moment, Winry looked not unlike her first day of the first session: exhausted. Content, yet undeniably spent. Her chest rose and fell slowly and evenly. A thin cord of drool trickled out the corner of her mouth, which was pulled slightly upwards in an unconscious smile. Here and there a random muscle would twitch, making it seem as though she were having an eventful dream. For all Alphonse knew, that could've been the case.

From then on the armor's thoughts wandered past the subject of the neighbor girl and onto more pressing matters. He took this time to himself to carefully mull over the more recent happenings of his life. And down this track, his train of thought was lead to a neutral aspect of his mind. Much like how the very train they occupied veered off their scenic course and sauntered into an uninteresting valley.

Several minutes passed before something yanked Alphonse out of this trance. Or rather, someone.

The man across the train had finally budged from his stone slumber. Alphonse could now see equally charcoal black behind half-lidded eyes. Eyes that seemed to reach into his very soul as they scanned the armor with expert precision. Again, that bell of familiarity chimed like mad and all but beat the inside of his helmet with urgency and importance.

The armor watched the man a little longer in hopes of gleaning whatever he could to silence that gaping hole in his memory. The man's eyes flickered away from him to survey the rest of his environment. It became obvious that the man was now pointedly avoiding Alphonse's gaze.

Alphonse soon realized how pointless it all was. Because he had no business gawking at strangers. Obviously, a hulking suit of armor staring from the other side of a train car would make anyone feel uneasy.

As this thought crossed his mind, the armor, in place of blinking and clearing his throat, tilted his helmet back down to continue reading his novel. Thankfully, he had no blush to conceal.

Though, just twelve minutes later, more movement from the mysterious man could be seen from Alphonse's peripheral view. He fought the strong urge to look up with all his might, but he eventually failed. And the moment he did look up couldn't have been a more perfect time for him to do so. Because right then the mysterious man scanned the car one last time, rose from his seat, and quietly slipped through the door.

Into the livestock car.

o.O.0.O.o

The two sets of footsteps shoved the door shut behind them and audibly panted. It sounded as if one of them had slunk down the wall and planted their rear right then and there. The other supposedly remained standing.

"Are you alright, sir?" whispered the standing one.

"For the last time, I'm fine!" whispered the sitting one.

These words were spoken in a language unfamiliar the third intelligent creature in the train car. This creature kept very quiet and very still as it continued to observe the happenings outside of its crate.

The sitting one, a male according to his voice, stood again and whispered a bit louder, "How much time do we have before the Amestrian officer gets here?"

The other one, a female according to her voice, replied, "The officer has already boarded the train, sir. He may show up at any moment."

The male cursed under his breath, something that, at least, the third creature could understand. The female said nothing as the male continued.

"Great, just great… We don't have time for fancy maneuvers. We need to find that sheep and deactivate the bomb before anything else."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the two set to work and began prying boxes open. Even if the third intelligent creature knew their reasoning, it wouldn't have helped much. Though, being that he knew nothing, he jumped to the worst conclusions. The creature understandably panicked.

Minutes ticked by and the creature came no closer to escaping his box, despite all the racket he managed to make in his various attempts. Now it seemed, he made things even worse for himself. The male, slightly curious as to why one animal seemed more distressed than the rest, began pacing towards his box instead of moving onto the next one in line.

The creature heard his approaching footsteps until his own heart beat drowned all other sound. He prepared himself to be discovered and shut his eyes. Then he waited for the climax of the nightmare.

A climax that never came.

"Found it!" the female whispered, and the footsteps of the male retreated towards her voice.

As was in order, the creature's consciousness fled him. The two humans unstrapped the bomb from the drowsy sheep and held it up in victory.

Unfortunately for them, the climax of their nightmare would come in just a few moments. When the door opened again to reveal snap-ready white gloves, and an enraged charcoal gaze.


	31. Chapter 31

Golden Scales Chapter 31

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Wasting no time, Alphonse sprinted across the train car and flung the door open. Not even bothering to shut it behind him, he flung open the next door and leapt over the car link. What he found inside the next car would confuse him beyond compare.

A sheep, two figures holding up a bomb, and Colonel Roy Mustang stood in the center of the car. It was then that the whole world seemed to freeze.

The man that he now recognized as his older brother's former commanding officer didn't look back at Alphonse or even acknowledge him in anyway; and Alphonse understood why. The two holding up the bomb were dressed in a fashion that he'd only seen a handful of times in his life: Xingese. His mind conjured up the word before Mustang said it.

"Terrorists."

Suddenly, Alphonse felt foolish for barging in like he did. Though, despite this, he was glad for it. His brother would've been completely helpless if things hadn't unfolded the way they did. Now Alphonse was at least there to protect him from discovery if things got out of hand.

The armor shoved these thoughts aside and refocused on the issue at hand.

"Drop the bomb! NOW!" Mustang shouted, addressing the Xingese.

One of them spoke something that was clearly not Amestrian, but the two obeyed.

Making use of the armor's unexpected presence, Mustang commanded, "Al, restrain them!"

Alphonse obeyed without a word. Once he'd sufficiently bound their hands behind them, Mustang had already fetched the bomb and tossed it out of the train.

Presently, the Flame Alchemist stood before the Xingese with his gloved hand poised to snap. Then Mustang gave Alphonse his next order. An order that he was a little more reluctant to carry out.

"Go find Hughes and Armstrong, Al. They're in the car in front of the next one. Bring them here."

Again, Alphonse said nothing and carried out his task. He stole a quick glance at his brother's crate before slipping through the door again.

o.O.0.O.o

Once the door had been shut and locked behind Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, Mustang immediately turned his undivided attention to Alphonse.

"What are you doing here, Alphonse?" he asked, "And what were you thinking?! You could've jeopardized the lives of everyone on this train!"

"I'm sorry!" Alphonse blurted, "I didn't know, I was just making sure—"

The Colonel sighed and cut him off. "Never mind. I ask you again, what are you doing here?"

He paused, unsure of how to reply. "I-I… uhhh… Y-You see, we're… um… visiting relatives! Yeah! Relatives in… um… Aerugo?"

Alphonse knew he was a terrible liar. And he knew from his expression that the Colonel wasn't buying it. But could it be helped? He couldn't exactly tell the man the truth.

Releasing another sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose, the Colonel asked his next question. "What do you mean 'we'? Is Edward here?"

If Alphonse had eyes, they would've widened considerably at that moment.

"Uhhh… did I say 'we'? I meant—"

The man squeezed his eyes shut and stood.

"I don't have time for this, Alphonse. I'm going back in there. When I come out, I expect a full, honest answer to my question. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir…"

With that, the man re-entered the livestock car and locked the door behind him, leaving Alphonse standing alone in the evacuated passenger car.

o.O.0.O.o

Winry woke in a new train car, which she found odd. However, what was even odder was the commotion of worry and uncertainty spilling from the lips of the distressed passengers around her. Quickly, she rose from her sleeping position to find nearly the whole car in mild panic. A spire of panic pierced her own stomach as she tuned into one of the many fretful conversations.

"A bomb? Who'd want to blow up a train?" said the middle-aged man whose back was turned to her.

"Maybe they're after someone on this train," concluded the woman next to him.

The younger man facing Winry's direction snorted. "Na. I'll bet they're trying to start another war between Amestris and Aerugo. The tension is bad enough as it is. A little stunt like that is all it'll take to spark the next fire."

The last speaker's assumption sent chills up and down her spine. She tuned out and gave the new car a quick once-over. She felt even worse once she realized that Alphonse was missing. New panic surged through her veins, a little more urgent this time. She stood up and began working her way to the closest person she could find.

It was a little old lady in the seat across from her. She appeared a little worse for wear than when she'd last seen her, particularly in the way she held herself. She shook slightly, like a small dog. The faded green of her irises was clouded by intense anxiety. Winry tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" she asked softly, "What's going on?"

The old lady's eyes flickered to her in a heartbeat, almost as if Winry's question had startled her out of a nightmare of some sort.

"It's alright, dear," the woman assured her, "They've only moved us up a car. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure."

Winry frowned. Eavesdropping had rewarded her with more information than this old lady was willing to share with her. She understood that the lady merely wanted to protect her, but still. She wasn't a child. She could handle the truth.

"Please, ma'am," she tried again, "Have you seen a man in a suit of armor recently? And if you have, can you tell me where he went?"

"Of course," the lady replied, "I saw him about an hour ago. He didn't come with us when they moved us, though."

Winry internally growled. "Thank you, ma'am."

Making up her mind, Winry paced over to the back door. She scanned the car one last time before quietly slipping through the door. Although, she hadn't expected the wind turbulence that rushed to meet her as soon as that door opened. Terror coursed through her, yet she shut her jaw and the door behind her.

The freezing night air tousled her hair about her head as she stared ahead at the door across the car link. With caution, she hopped over to the other car door and latched her hand onto its handle like her life depended on it. And it did. But the second most horrifying development of the evening happened when she tried that handle.

The door was locked.

Finally, the first most horrifying development was discovered when she hopped back over to the other door. She tried the handle.

Locked.

o.O.0.O.o

"We're ambassadors, dammit!" Ling shouted in Amestrian, "We were here to deactivate and remove the bomb!"

The man with the glasses nodded, but the Flame Alchemist wouldn't have it.

"For the last time, I'm ordering you to tell the truth! Either you—"

"Mustang," Glasses Man interrupted, "They are telling the truth. I'm the interrogator here, remember? I can usually tell these kinds of things."

"You can't be sure, Hughes," 'Mustang' replied angrily, "I caught them red-handed! What more proof do you need?"

'Hughes' merely sighed patiently and pressed his elbows onto the make-shift crate-table. "Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding. You can't—"

"No, Hughes. We can't assume anything. We can't afford to just let them go because we think they might be innocent."

"The Colonel is right, sir," the large, muscly shirtless man chipped in, "It seems we'll just have to disembark at the next stop and go from there. We can't very well give them the chance to escape to Aerugo if they mean to invoke war between us."

Maes hummed thoughtfully. "Alright. That sounds reasonable."

As the Flame Alchemist and the rest of the officers bounced ideas and figured out what to do with them, Ling and Lan Fan whispered to one another.

"Any further argument on the issue would be unwise, sir," Lan Fan told him, "You may have to, as they say it, 'pull rank' on them."

Ling snarled, "What else do you want me to do? I've already told them we're ambassadors."

"Yes, but just telling them that accomplishes nothing. They need proof."

"The emperor wanted this mission under wraps, and for a good reason. If we tell them who we are they'll also want to know who's behind the bombing and how we knew about it."

"Could we not simply tell them that's classified?" Lan Fan reasoned, "It is the truth, after all."

Ling scoffed. "Believe me, these people won't stop until they know everything. If we don't talk, the Fuhrer himself is likely to become involved."

"But, sir—"

"Hey!" the Flame Alchemist shouted, "Stop talking over there! We're getting off at the next stop, so no more funny business. Got it?"

"Got it," Ling mocked with disdain.

This earned him a hateful glare, but nothing more. Then the Flame Alchemist wrapped up his argument with his fellow officers and exited the car. Lan Fan visibly winced when she noticed this, because she knew from the last time he left them with the other two what horror would ensue. Ling swallowed the growing lump in his throat.

Not a moment too soon after the door shut and locked behind him, the man with the glasses, Maes as they called him, whipped out the photo album again and commenced their torture.

o.O.0.O.o

Once again, the Colonel met Alphonse in the empty passenger car and locked the door behind him. The man released a stressed sigh before looking up at the armor with unmistakable seriousness and irritation.

"Are you ready to tell me the truth, Alphonse?" he asked simply.

The armor wrung his hands together and desperately scoured his mind for a proper answer. Nothing came to him and, after ten seconds, he heard himself say:

"…no, sir."

"I see," Mustang replied, "In that case, I'll have to ask you to—"

"Wait!" Alphonse cried.

The man paused with a raised eyebrow, waiting.

If he were human, Alphonse might've begun chewing on his lip right then. For a brief moment Alphonse had the tiniest glimmer of an idea. Unfortunately, it was too small and fragile for his memory to completely register. Now he stood there, unsure of what he'd been about to say. Mustang, despite the armor's emotionless exterior, observed this and remained patiently waiting as Alphonse articulated himself.

Finally, the armor said, "I don't think that question is relevant, sir. My brother is no longer under your command. You have no right to demand that answer… sir."

A furious, almost ugly frown slithered across the man's face. But then that frown disappeared. Along with the tension in his shoulders. Replacing the frown, a small smile pulled at his lips, and soon laughter escaped those lips.

"You're right," the man said, chuckling, "I keep forgetting that. You boys are on your own now. Your journey is over. Which reminds me… how come you're still wearing that armor, Al?"

The question couldn't have hit him harder if it had literally slapped him in the face.

"Huh…?" the armor responded, "W-What do you mean, sir? You know why I wear this armor."

Before anything else could be said, a sound from the other side of the car yanked their attention away from the conversation. A persistent clattering of metal, as if the outside handle of the door was being tried over and over. Then as the two strained their hearing, a voice became evident.

The two shared a quick look and scrambled to open the door. Once they'd opened it, a blonde girl spilled inside the car. She shivered violently, and the chattering of her teeth was loudly audible. When she lifted her face to thank her saviors, all three of them gasped.

"Winry?"

"Ms. Rockbell?"

"Alphonse?"


	32. Chapter 32

Golden Scales Chapter 32

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

"Winry!" Alphonse cried, "What are you doing here! You should be—"

He was cut off by her angry yelling. "What am _I_ doing here?! What are _you_ doing here?! You're the one who snuck off without telling me anything!"

The freezing girl refused his offered hand and lifted herself to her unsteady feet.

"I didn't mean to sneak off," Alphonse replied, "I thought Brother was in danger, so I went to check on him."

"And you!" she said, wheeling on the Colonel, "What's this I hear about a bomb? I fall asleep for ten minutes and _this_ happens?"

Mustang blinked in shock. "I… We… Look, the danger has already passed. The bomb has been removed. So I suggest you both return to your seats."

"We're not going anywhere until we know Brother is safe." Al stated firmly.

Winry nodded, crossing her arms.

The colonel narrowed his eyes. "Where exactly is Edward?"

If Alphonse had a face, it would've turned white. Winry's face, however, actually did turn white. A long pause rang through the air. As the seconds ticked by, the deeper the frown stretched across the man's face became.

"Alphonse," he asked sternly, "Where is Edward?"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, something happened before the armor could answer. A loud screech flooded the car, and all three of them were thrown to the floor as a shock-wave jolted the train. The screech continued as the train assumedly ground to a very slow-going halt.

No words were exchanged between the three. They regained their footing as best they could and stumbled towards the door.

o.O.0.O.o

Meanwhile, in the livestock car, humans and animals alike were in an equal state of bewilderment and disorder. Accompanying the horrid screech of the train, many distressed cries rang about the car as the animals attempted to make sense of their circumstances. The humans, however, took a more manageable approach.

"What the hell was that?" Ling asked no one in particular.

Lan Fan bit her lip. "Perhaps the train hit something."

"Or something hit the train…" one of the officers said, pointing a trembling finger towards the east wall. Rightfully so, I'm afraid, because just then the boards of that wall splintered apart as an inhumanly large fist burst its way inside. This fist was met with the collective gasps and cries of the creatures that occupied the car.

Again, humans and animals alike took their fair shares of steps towards the westward wall in a useless attempt to distance themselves from the intruder. Only the animals still trapped in their crates remained, panicked as they were.

The humans gawked in horror as the creature lumbered into the still-speeding train car. In the dynamic lighting of the lightning outside, the giant's profile stood clear under its doorway. Ling could do nothing as his knees turned to jelly beneath him. He was forced to lean against a random crate behind him while he took in the intruder's features.

Had the thing rose to its full height, Ling could be certain its head would exceed the roof. Bulging muscles wrapped around its limbs and trunk beneath its paper white skin. Goggles of sorts shielded its eyes, but its ugly mouth was twisted in an angry pout. It wore blackened pants with suspenders, chains encased its wrists, and its hair hung down in thin, tapering strands.

Ling had no time to observe further; the thing had begun ripping the lids off the stray crates, almost moving too fast for his eyes to track. At least, that's what it appeared to be doing. Seeing this, everyone moved away from the crates. Everyone except him, who, at the moment, was too weak to move even an inch. Normally, he didn't freeze up like this, but it seemed his body had other ideas that day. It was an ugly truth for him to face.

"Ling! Get back!" Lan Fan shouted.

Before he could respond, the crate beneath him began to shake. Or rather, the animal inside began to panic. He could not tell what it was, for it made no audible cries, but he knew it desperately wanted out.

By the time he reached this conclusion, the monster had checked every crate in the car save for one. Ling cringed and looked up to find the giant looming menacingly above him.

" _LING!_ " Lan Fan screamed.

For what happened next, Ling would thank the gods countless times. In that moment, he'd miraculously gained his control back, and moved out of the way just in time to avoid being thrown into the wall.

When Ling turned around to face the thing again, his heart literally skipped a beat. The giant had blasted the crate apart with its bare hand. But the sight of the thing it held up in triumph was something that none of them would ever forget.

In the eerie mix of moonlight and lightning flashes, a siren dangled from its own hair. A real, honest-to-the-gods siren. Golden scales glittered on the surface of its humanoid form. Equally golden hair snaked about on each strand's own accord. Its thick, heavily-muscled tail lashed back and forth. Visible through its parted lips, shark teeth gnashed together. Even in the small amount of noise it made, which consisted of grunts and an occasional squeak, its double voice simply oozed demonic texture.

It could do nothing but writhe in pain as the rest of them openly gawked. The sheer amount of fear and despair in that miserable creature's eyes seemed to plant a seed of guilt in Ling's stomach. Here he was, standing there staring at it, while it struggled in vain to escape this monster's grasp. Even though the legends surrounding those creatures rendered it a monster, Ling felt strongly compelled to save it.

Though he suspected this compulsion to be the workings of its wicked magic. If he knew sirens, that thing was far more dangerous than that giant would ever be.

But this was all assuming he wasn't hallucinating.

In the time it took for Ling to dissect the circumstances, three people had entered the car. One of them, the armor from before, cried,

"BROTHER!"

The armor, in a valiant attempt to save what it had dubbed "brother," dashed forward to fight the giant. The officer from before, and a girl he hadn't yet met, stood shock still while the giant slapped the armor into the wall as easily as it would an annoying insect.

Now it was the girl's turn to scream. "ALPHONSE!"

By the time the armor had returned to its feet, it was too late: the giant slipped through the doorway, siren in hand, and disappeared into the stormy night.

The last thing Ling remembered seeing was the armor leaping out the doorway after the giant and the blonde girl falling to her knees.

o.O.0.O.o

Alphonse hit the ground running. A slight twist of the armor's ankle on impact, but nothing else. The crimson glow of his helmet's eye-holes had fixated on the retreating form of his brother's kidnapper. And although the giant moved quicker than himself, Alphonse knew that thing would tire eventually. Right?

The armor dashed across the landscape for hours and hours. Until it turned into days, Alphonse hadn't fully realized just how long he'd been at it, and how long he'd been able to keep up with the monster. Only then did it hit him: maybe the giant wouldn't tire. Clearly, it wasn't human. But this notion merely reinforced his resolve.

 _Two can play at that game_ , he thought bitterly to himself.

During those days of chase, the armor couldn't avoid observing his ever-changing environment. The transition was slow, but the lush forests had eventually melted into unforgiving desert. Unforgiving for those with proper vessels, but not to him.

The fourth day had come to pass when Alphonse remembered that the giant had been moving faster than himself; horror plunged through his very soul when he looked up and the giant's figure was nowhere to be found. Of course, this didn't stop him, but it made him very uneasy. He knew the giant would most likely take him to the South Sea. As long as he kept pace in that general direction, he'd be fine. But there was still the question of exactly where along the South Sea.

After that, nothing remotely interesting happened until day number six. The sun had been approaching the horizon, which caused the upcoming guard towers to glow in his path.

Before he knew it, he'd reached the boarder of Aerugo. But that wasn't the interesting part. No, he continued on his way, thankfully unnoticed by the slacking efforts of the guards. It would be another hour until the landscape began to melt back into forest.

When it did, Alphonse unsuspectingly attempted to run past a cave. A cave in which a person just so happened to be exiting at the time. Needless to say, the armor and the person collided spectacularly, effectively knocking the other unconscious.

o.O.0.O.o

None of what had happened made sense, but Roy didn't let it stop him from doing what he could to help. For a while at least, Roy was able to shove aside his thoughts in favor of evacuating the train. Since the train had derailed and slid to a halt sometime during the fiasco, the train could no longer continue on its way until it was returned to the tracks. Every. Single. Car. Which would take "a while", according to the conductors.

Winry, however, was an entirely different matter. The girl sat in the grass along the tree line and sobbed nearly the entire time. When anyone tried to comfort her, she'd shove them away and inch even closer to the untamed wilderness. Roy had filed the information away for later and chose to focus on his current task.

Roy was helping people off the train and occasionally comforting a child or assuring worried parents. He directed them over to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and Major Armstrong, who stood opposite to Winry at the forest line. The two corralled the passengers in tight groups and assigned them escorts to guide them to the nearest town.

The night was chilly, but pleasantly so. Roy worked with his jacket tied to his waist and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Unlike the majority of people, he didn't mind physical labor. As a matter of fact, he thrived in it. In his opinion, it beat being cooped up in an office any day. He was a simple man who took pleasure in simple things. He loathed reading and paperwork with a passion, but he'd gladly do something that required actual work.

It took his mind off things. It allowed him to channel all of his effort towards something in the real world as opposed to the haunted crevices of his mind. He appreciated this.

Eventually though, there were no more passengers to help off the train. He turned around to find Maes and Alex separating the last batch by family and sending them off with their escorts. Next stop: Venrir Township.

Roy sighed. He gazed up at the damaged train one last time before turning on his heel and heading towards the sobbing girl, who had yet to be clued in that her party was leaving. Not that she cared.

Once he arrived by her side, he carefully knelt down next to her and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"Ms. Rockbell, we're leaving now," he whispered gently, "Please come with us. You'll be safer where we're going."

A sniffle and a hiccup. That's all he got in response.

He sighed. "Look, I'm required to see to it that everyone is moved to safety. You wouldn't want to give me even more paper work, would you? That wouldn't be very fair to me, you know."

He manipulated his tone to sound light-hearted and jestful. To his surprise, this approach earned him a small, watery smile. Slowly but surely the girl rose to her feet. She took a deep breath and began shuffling towards the light of the lanterns.

With that, the two set off and followed the passengers to Venrir.


	33. Chapter 33

Golden Scales Chapter 33

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

The captain of Samael's Greed leant against a post atop the docks and stared off into the horizon. It was a glorious day at sea. Overcast skies, the rumble of thunder in the distance, the sweet scent of water plaguing the strong eastward winds. From all these signs Selena could easily figure that a storm was on its way. And a powerful one, at that.

A shame, really. Perfect weather like so was about to be wasted on another pointless pilgrimage to the Sage Shrine. Even though she'd only taken her ship there a total of two times, she loathed the route with a passion. She hated how that good-for-nothing bastard bullied her into taking orders. She knew she could take him down with very little effort, but she also knew that in doing so she'd be sealing her own doom.

So Selena waited on the docks for the bastard and his dangerous haul. Her mind wandered in many different directions in the twenty minutes it took for him to arrive. Mostly, she pondered if and when she'd be given the chance to visit an inland country again. Being bound to her grandfather's trading ship offered a great many opportunities to explore the unknown, but the sea all faded into the same shade of blue eventually.

Then suddenly another thought hit her. A thought that hadn't been touched on in decades. She found herself smiling a little as her mind revisited the topic of some old allies.

Long ago, when her father still lived and sailed Samael's Greed, Selena knew three cursed sisters that followed the ways of Orta, just like her. Although their curses varied significantly, they formed an understanding in the short time that they saw each other. While Selena's curse doomed her to never set foot on land again, the three sisters' curse prohibited them from sharing their sentence. But Selena had eventually come to figure that the witch sisters intended to save someone very important to them. Before they could confirm her guess they were swept away by one of the more monstrous sea-storms Selena had ever seen.

Since then her thoughts occasionally fell on the sisters and she wondered what had become of them all those years ago.

Before her thoughts could delve any further, the present yanked her attention away. A restrained sneer decorated her lips as she spotted him across the docks: Fuhrer King Bradley. This time, a few more soldiers accompanied him, four of them carrying a medium-sized wooden livestock crate. She snorted, knowing that the extra helping hands wouldn't be of any use when came time.

Even Selena the Sea-Witch knew better than to screw with a siren.

o.O.0.O.o

I awoke to a dull throbbing pain coursing through my tail. With my senses initially deluded, I couldn't bring myself to wonder where I was or what happened until about ten minutes in. It was then that I began taking inventory of my surroundings. For what felt like the tenth time, my outer eyelids opened without the inner, leaving me confusedly staring at a blurred environment. After a moment, a scowl crept across my face as I forced the inner eyelids open. That scowl disappeared, replaced with shock, when I finally saw where I'd been taken.

Metal bars marred my view of wooden walls, wooden floors, and what appeared to be a stairway in the corner. Three circular windows were set into the wall to my right, all of which yielded no daylight. Five lanterns swayed back and forth on chains hooked to the beams on the ceiling. The light of those lanterns just barely gave off enough light to illuminate the five residential areas; which included the stairway, the main portion of the room, and the three sets of barred boxes that I now recognized as prison cells.

Now that I was closer to wakefulness, I scrunched my snake-like nostrils as best I could. I'd just noticed the horrible stench of deceased animal that had been plaguing the air.

In a pitiful attempt to avoid panic and to take my mind off of my miserable surroundings, I thought back to what I last remembered. I winced as a flood of unpleasant images surged forward. I remembered the fear that seized me when those two Xingese nearly discovered me, when the train derailed and sent everything into a downward spiral, when that thing broke into the car and lifted me into the air for everyone to see.

That last memory in particular nearly caused me to gag. At the time, I could only pick up bits and pieces of what was happening around me. The strain of hanging from my own hair was more than enough to block out the entire world in those few moments. Unfortunately, some of those moments slipped through the cracks. I remembered catching glimpses of the horrified faces of the people in the car. Among those faces were Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and Major Armstrong. But the worst faces showed up in the last moments: Winry, Alphonse, and Colonel Mustang.

I had to choke down a sob right then. Alphonse and Winry's screams, and Mustang's awe and silence... It was too much.

I forced myself to take a deep, slow and steady breath. What was wrong with me? I never got this emotional about things. And I certainly never cried over things below a solid ten on my "bad scale." It may have sounded silly, but that was how I gauged my reactions. It was how I managed to keep a lid on my emotions all those years. And now, all this sudden, it was like I was finally cracking under the pressure. I was broken.

No. I was just stressed, is all. Right?

In any case, I needed to get out of there. I needed to find Al and Winry again and go from there. But I soon realized how little chance I had at accomplishing that. I suddenly remembered the pain in my tail that I woke to when I looked down: a metal shackle and a chain bound me to the floor. Upon further inspection, my wrists were shackled to the wall behind me. And between those two forces, I couldn't move very far.

Fear seared my nervous system as I began to uselessly tug at my metal binds. I'm not proud to admit that in the twenty minutes after that discovery I had made a series of very, _very_ desperate attempts to escape those binds, which only rewarded me with an unstable state of mind and raw, bleeding flesh beneath the shackles. I'm also ashamed to admit that in those moments of instability I shed a tear or two, and a few cries of distress slipped past my lips. Two hours after my fit, I finally wound down enough to fall asleep again.

o.O.0.O.o

Staving off boredom when one is trapped in a cave proved to be quite a worthy challenge, Amery mentally noted. Also, when one can't leave said cave lest their escort throw a conniption fit, that challenge ten-folded itself. Finally, when one isn't allowed to use their fire for reasons beyond keeping their campfire alive, it drives oneself to throw a conniption fit of their own.

Which lead Amery here, smirking at Roa's still-smoking hair while his expression looked downright murderous. Allephe merely crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Aliss's nose was glued to her makeshift scrying bowl, of course, so she wasn't even paying attention.

Amery bit back the urge to roll her own eyes. Ever since they teleported themselves to Aerugo, Aliss had been working non-stop to locate their siren. They told her countless times that he was probably gone for good, just like their last two sirens, but she wouldn't have it. Amery knew that losing this one, the one they'd worked so hard to keep around, had finally sent her over the edge. Aliss wouldn't take it anymore. She was done. She wanted to end this with Ed.

They couldn't blame her. Amery was sick and tired of running this hamster wheel. They weren't getting any closer to finding the Moon Stone than they were when they first started this perilous quest. And now that they were stuck in this cave until their guard-dog gave them the go-ahead, it felt like they'd never get the chance to try again.

Back when they arrived in Aerugo, and they were all out cold for a few weeks, Roa had found them on the side of a river. That same river rushed by a few kilometers from their cave. Roa wouldn't tell them much, but he did say that he came to Aerugo to protect them.

Of course, this sounded extremely sketchy at first, but after the three settled into their new home, Roa had proved his resolve a great many times. A certain trust was formed between them. Also, if he stepped out of line, Allephe could just fry him from the inside with her walking stick. Or Amery could burn him. Or Aliss could possess him with her freaky blood-bending and make him take a dive over the side of a cliff.

All that in mind, they anxiously awaited Roa's signal to leave again. Roa stated that his "boss" would send a sign. Or if a perfect opportunity just so happened to fall from the sky, they'd take it. What kind of opportunity, Amery didn't know. But she knew that all four of them were getting pretty antsy. This little hide-out game was going to come to an end sooner or later.

Unknown to her at the moment, that opportunity would come that very same day, hour, minute, and second.

"Oof!" came a cry from outside the cave.

The noise was accompanied by the sound of metal crashing to the ground. Amery, Allephe, and Roa all snapped their gazes to the cave entrance to see Aliss's crumpled form beneath a mountain of metal. The three sprung up and dashed over to the scene.

A knight in a suit of armor, Amery realized with a start.

Allephe immediately kicked the knight off of their sister and knocked the helmet off with her staff, red-hot anger boiling beneath her skin.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" she shouted.

As soon as Allephe collected herself, her shoulders and jaw dropped. And Amery, who saw why, did the same.

Where the head of the knight should've been was empty space. Upon further inspection, the armor was completely hollow. Yet, it held up its hands in surrender. Then it spoke.

"M-My name is Alphonse," it said in an almost childish voice, "I-I'm just passing through. I'm sorry I ran into her. I wasn't paying attention."

Being witches, the sisters had seen a lot of strange things in their long centuries of life. Countless creatures, curses, places, and people. But the possession of inanimate objects was something that was considered a sort of taboo among the followers of Orta. It was unnatural, undesirable, and insanely dangerous. It was better to let someone die than to tie them to earth in such a cruel, torturous way. That said, the occurrence of a bound soul was extremely rare. Even just seeing it was considered bad luck.

Amery's stomach seemed to coil as a flood of pity and disgust washed over her. She glanced at Allephe and their eyes met. In that moment she knew they were thinking the exact same thing: they needed to release this soul. ASAP.

Before they could do anything, however, the armor picked itself up and screwed its helmet back on. It turned to face them and said,

"Well, I'll be on my way. I'm sorry about… um… her."

Then it turned on its heel and began marching southeast.

"Wait!" the two sisters shouted in unison.

The armor stopped and turned. "Y-Yes?"

They shared another look and Allephe said, "Don't you think we deserve an explanation? You ran into our sister and you're just going to walk off and leave us like that?!"

Roa, who'd been quietly tending to Aliss, took this moment to stand again. He seemed to sense that they already knew exactly what they were talking to. That they were just stalling him.

"You have no business asking that of him, Allephe," he told her, "That's like asking a war hero how he lost his leg."

The armor stood there for a moment, appearing almost regal as the feather sprouting from his helmet danced in the wind. Finally, the armor said,

"I-I can't tell you how I got this way. But I can tell you why I'm here: I want to save someone close to me. They were taken to the South Sea. Have any of you seen a giant carrying a golden siren pass through here?"

And just like that Amery forgot all about releasing this person's soul from the armor. One more shared look with Allephe took place.

"You know Ed?!" they asked together.


	34. Chapter 34

Golden Scales Chapter 34

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

In the mess hall on the second deck of the ship, many people were seated around a large oak table. At the head of this table was the captain herself, wearing her usual half-scowl as she listened to each person's piece. To her right sat the one-eyed bastard. He, too half-scowled, though his contained a lot more anger than her own. To her left was her first mate, a tall wiry man in his early thirties. He sported a silly grin, as always, and took it upon himself to lighten the mood around the table when he felt it necessary. She didn't love the man, she really couldn't love anyone per se, but she did harbor a strong fondness for him. Everyone else was either a new face or one of the crew members. This time there was a fresh batch of merchants, a Cretan ambassador, and an eccentric cryptozoologist.

Selena, as usual, was less than pleased with this arrangement. She would much rather be at the helm, doing what she did best. She hated being stuck inside on a beautiful stormy day, discussing politics and other nonsense. As a result, these meetings were almost always adjourned in light of some "emergency" that needed taking care of. The "emergencies" were concocted by her first mate, who more than understood her misery in these painful get-togethers. At the moment, Selena was just about ready to give him the signal.

Until the one-eyed bastard spoke his piece.

"Say, Captain," he said, smirking, "When do you suppose we'll be arriving at Miru Island?"

Selena pressed her elbows into the table and ground her teeth. "Three days' time, I expect. Unless, of course, something _unexpected_ happens."

His smirk disappeared a mere moment before a grin appeared on her own lips. This small victory didn't last long, though.

"Why visit an island that's clearly miles out of the way?" asked one of the merchants.

This drew her undivided attention to this merchant for the first time. She narrowed her eyes as she took in the man's appearance. Short, mousey brown hair, hazel eyes, fair skin, and an irritated scowl. From what she could see of him, he wore a simple white tunic with a colorful blue sash. A gaudy gold amulet hung from his neck on a thick chain, and equally thick bangles glittered on his wrists. Most likely a jewel merchant from a desert country on the eastern shores.

"Well, Sir," she answered after a while, "An eccentric old fart pays handsomely for the chance to visit the island. So handsomely that the extra fuel to get there barely makes a dent in the ship's budget."

The merchant held his hands up in surrender and leant back into his seat. Thirteen more excruciating minutes crawled by before the meeting was finally adjourned. By then Selena was rubbing her temples and praying for the sweet release of death. Her first mate's "emergency" couldn't have come soon enough.

o.O.0.O.o

Aliss awoke to a slap in the face. Literally.

"Wake up Sleepin' Beauty! Let's go go go!" Amery shouted.

Before she could gather her bearings, her sister had already hoisted her to her feet and began dragging her to the cave exit. Her feet moved on their own beneath her as her vision adjusted to the daylight. It was hot outside. So hot, in fact, that it nearly suffocated her upon exposure.

"Um… Miss?" asked a new voice, "Shouldn't we wait until she's healed? Or at least fully awake? We're not in THAT much of a hurry…"

Amery snorted. "Nonsense! We dine and dash all the time! Don't we, Aliss?"

Instead of answering, Aliss focused her gaze on the new person, and, with a great start, realized that it was the knight who'd knocked her over earlier. She noticed something else as well.

Aliss asked, "Why is the knight coming with us? And where's Roa?"

"He knows where Ed might be," Allephe answered, "And Roa went back to Amestris."

The knight fell in step with her and said in a surprisingly young voice, "I'm sorry for running into you earlier."

Aliss smiled. "It's okay, sir. So you know Ed?"

"You know, I'm not really a knight. You don't have to call me 'sir.' And yeah, he's my brother."

She knit her brow in confusion. "Your brother? Then how come you're not… you know…"

She could feel the hot embarrassment plastering her cheeks. She just about opened her mouth to revoke her silly question when he began filling her in on what he'd told her sisters so far, and their plans to reach Miru Island before the winter solstice. Once he was finished, Allephe added,

"There's a southbound train headed straight for Shea city. If we're lucky, we can catch Samael's Greed before it sets out."

Aliss and Amery groaned at both the idea of boarding another train and the name of the ship. Nonetheless, Aliss did not protest. If it got them to Miru Island without using the teleport spell then one more visit shouldn't hurt. After all, saving Ed and eventually Avia was far more important than preserving their pride.

Alphonse tilted his helmet at this, but decidedly left the sisters to it.

o.O.0.O.o

Rain pelted the windows and streamed down the glass as the train rattled along down the tracks. Outside, the weather had turned angry and violent. Strong gusts of wind threatened to rip fully grown trees from their earthen perches. The grassy plains that whistled past looked more like roaring oceans than solid land. A halo of darkness rimmed the sky in all directions, save for the space straight above, strangely enough.

All of this did not phase Winry in the least bit. She rested her head against the window, her knees pinned to her chest. While the atmosphere around her hung morbid and sorrowful, her thoughts were blank and emotionless. She'd cried her heart out. She'd beaten herself up for her utter uselessness. She'd spent her wrath cursing that unholy monster, and her worry fretting for both Elric brothers. There was not a drop of expression left in her, leaving her empty and absent.

Yet one little ember of feeling drove away all of the darkness in the world: hope.

She effortlessly ignored her environment until now. Whenever someone seated themselves next to her she didn't move a muscle, or even acknowledge them in any way. She hoped that in doing so no more disappointment or pain could be thrown her way.

Eventually, though, her little seclusion plan had to come to an end.

For the first time in what felt like hours, the cogs in her head began to turn again. After all, one could only go so long without concentrating on _something_. What her mind had cooked up for her, to her surprise, didn't send her recoiling to her previous state. She started mulling over all of the possibilities of the future. What she could do to prevent the same thing from happening again. What she could do to improve her responses to situations.

Winry thought back to what may have stopped her from responding when Ed needed her back there. Was she afraid? Was she nervous? Or did her body just lock up on her? Perhaps she deemed her method of combat, or skill level, unfit for the circumstances.

The truth was, she really didn't know. Her memory was less-than-perfect on a regular basis. But in a stressful situation like that? Forget it. Literally.

Winry sighed through her nose and peered up at the sky. She knew one thing for sure: she needed to prepare herself for what would happen next. She needed to be ready. Even though she had no clue where either Elric brother was, she knew her search could be narrowed down to the South Sea somewhere. She just needed a sign. A clue to go by. Or one of those weird dream-vision things she used to get when she was a kid.

She smiled as she remembered back to those days.

When she was seven, the night before Granny went grocery shopping, she dreamed that a dog would wrangle itself free from its leash and barrel through the grocery store. As if Winry had somehow gotten a peak into the future, Granny came back from the grocery store the next day ranting about some mad dog that had knocked her over while she was shopping.

Many other little things like that happened that she'd somehow gotten a glimpse of before they came to pass. Winry always thought these visions were the coolest thing since slice bread, but Granny brushed them off as coincidences.

Even so, Winry had stopped getting them once she'd turned twelve. She doubted she'd get any more, much less ones that could actually help her with her problems. But going through these memories did accomplish something good: they brought a smile to her face. A smile was hard to come by these days.

"How 'bout that weather out there, huh?" said a voice next to her, startling her out of her thoughts.

Winry whipped her head around to see Colonel Mustang wearing a forced smile. Her shoulders lost their tension as she reluctantly replied,

"Yeah. I haven't seen a storm like this in a long time."

"It's the climate change," he explained, "We're approaching the desert."

"Uh huh…." was all she could think to say.

An awkward silence passed between them.

"So…" the Colonel finally said, keeping his voice low, "Am I going crazy, or did I really see a giant back there?"

Winry could tell that the lightness in his tone was forced, though barely so. Even though she didn't know him very well, and he probably spent years upon years disciplining himself to conceal his real emotions, Winry had spent years upon years disciplining herself to read people like books. She'd been practically forced to since she couldn't get very much from Edward's iron facade without such skills. Also, it came in handy when her patients brushed off their pain and told her they were "fine." By seeing right through their deceit she could measure their true pain and treat them accordingly. Again, it was something she had to learn for Edward.

"You're not going crazy," she replied simply.

He bit his lip and sat on that for a while. Then he asked,

"And… the, um…"

"Siren?" Winry supplied.

"…Yeah. That. If I may ask, why did Alphonse…?"

She sighed. "Look, sir. You can believe it or not, but everything you're thinking right now is probably true. Can we drop this now?"

Winry wasn't exactly annoyed by the man's questioning. She was more concerned about keeping her promise to Edward. It was all she could do to not spill the beans. She'd skirted around the idea, but didn't directly confirm it. But she could tell from the expression beneath Mustang's mask of indifference that the man got what he needed.

"Sure," he said.

The ride was quiet from that point forward.

o.O.0.O.o

Unknown to the blonde girl across the train car, a little boy with black hair and a cruel smirk watched her every move. At least, he looked like a little boy. Power seemed to roll off him like fog, and anxiousness of equal intensity. He waited for his "sibling's" signal, that is, if it ever came. He sincerely hoped that it did. He'd love nothing more than to tear the girl to shreds.

Alas, he had to wait and see. If the siren cooperated, his services would be deemed unnecessary. If he didn't cooperate, the "little boy" would be given free license to do what he did best.

Until then, he would watch. And wait. For as long as it took.


	35. Chapter 35

Golden Scales Chapter 35

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

Hours later I was awake and mulling over what I'd do. How was I going to get out of here? I didn't have my alchemy anymore, so I couldn't simply deconstruct my binds and be on my merry way. Electricity probably wouldn't be of much use. I couldn't gnaw my way out of here. Or could I?

Little thoughts like that held my panic at bay. At the back of my mind, I knew for near certain that I couldn't escape without help. But that was no way to think. I couldn't just give up. There had to be a way.

I was in the middle of considering chewing my way out of my metal binds when suddenly a sound from the stairway startled me. I snapped my head up to see the door atop the stairs groaning open on its squeaky hinges. A figure that I could not yet discern padded down the stairs, the wood creaking with the pressure of each footstep. It didn't sound very heavy, though I knew size didn't matter.

Not that I had to worry about that, of course.

My heart began pounding on a will of its own when the figure reached the bottom and began pacing their way towards my cell. Almost involuntarily, I scooted a little further away from the metal bars. The figure walked at a leisurely pace until finally it halted underneath the light of the lantern outside my cell.

Well, I thought, That was anticlimactic.

Standing under that lantern appeared to be an ordinary man. His sailor's attire hung crisp and clean off his medium build. He possessed the trademark of Amestris: blue eyes and blond hair. Also, I noticed that he held a tray in his hands when I happened to glance down. A tray that held what looked like a dead fish, a shaker of salt, and a glass of decently clear water.

Likewise, he stared into my cell and surveyed me the same. He didn't look very surprised to see what I was, though. When he was finished he cleared his throat and fished a silver key out of his pocket. After setting down the tray, he used both hands to unlock my cell door. It was then that I realized this guy was probably sent here to drop off my breakfast. Breakfast being what sat on the tray. I quirked my lip in slight disgust.

Oh well. At least someone was here now. May as well see if I can glean any information from him.

I cleared my own throat before speaking. "So… where am I?"

I knew well enough who'd put me here and what they intended to do with me. But asking where I was might give me a clue on how much time I had left to escape.

The sailor retrieved his tray and entered the cell before answering, "You're in the brig of Samael's Greed."

I scratched my chin as I watched him set the tray down on a barrel and begin to pace towards me.

"Do you know where they're dropping me off? Or when?"

The sailor sighed and rolled his eyes. "Last I heard, our next port is on Miru Island. It usually takes three days to get there. Is that all?"

I smirked. "Three days. Yes, that's all."

"Mhmmm," he hummed, giving me a knowing blank stare.

Before I knew it, he was kneeling next to me. He looked down at me and said, "Don't shock me. I'm just removing the shackles from your… hands."

I gave him a dismissive nod and watched as he unlocked the metal binds from my wrists. At the back of my mind, I noted that our little exchange was very casual and laid back. Unusually so. If someone took the time to capture something like me, wouldn't it make sense to treat me a little more… I don't know… like a captive? Granted they chained me to the floor and locked me in a cell, but I couldn't help but feel like this whole experience was missing the traditional… evil. It was like this guy wasn't even trying to make me angry.

"You're all set," the sailor said, "Have a nice day."

I found myself blinking and responding with, "Likewise."

With that, the sailor stuffed the key back into his pocket, exited the cell, locked it behind him, and whistled a cheery tune as he made his way back up the stairs and eventually out the door. Said door shut unceremoniously behind him, leaving me wondering if all that was real, or if I was still asleep.

Unfortunately, I'd find out where the missing evil had been hiding a few hours later.

o.O.0.O.o

A few hours later, the door opened again. Initially, I thought it to be the same sailor as before, possibly here to retrieve my tray and re-bind my wrists. But when I scooted closer to my cell door, I heard something quite different.

The steps whined loudly in protest as, assumedly, a new person descended them. Also, this person moved much faster than the sailor from before. Before I knew it, the figure was already at the bottom of the steps and making their way toward my cell. Again, my heart found a faster rhythm on its own, and I shuffled deeper into my cell. The lanterns seemed to give off less light, and the temperature of the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

When the figure arrived beneath the lantern outside my cell, my eyes widened and I gasped.

"Fuhrer Bradley…?" I whispered.

The one-eyed man gave me a cruel smile, which looked downright menacing beneath the weak glow of the lantern. Just when I thought the situation couldn't dish out any more surprises, the Fuhrer said,

"Hello, Fullmetal. It's a beautiful day at sea, wouldn't you agree?"

And just like that I melted into a puddle of confusion, shock, and embarrassment. Questions bombarded me, too many for me to narrow down and answer. Suddenly a bout of nausea overwhelmed me, and I found myself clutching my stomach in agony. When this feeling passed, I lifted my chin and bravely stared into the eye of death.

"H-How…? W-When— I… How?" was all I managed to muster.

The man took three steps forward, and I scooted three steps' worth back.

"I suppose you're wondering how I know who you are," he began.

The Fuhrer unlocked my cell door with a key that I didn't see before and casually strolled inside. I slid backwards until I could go no further. My back pinned against the wall, I watched, terrified, as the leader of Amestris took a seat on a barrel. I don't remember much of what he said after that. I was only half listening as I worked to keep my body from shutting down in my intense panic.

But I do remember him telling me that he knew what I was from the very first time he met me. That he'd seen the dormant gills on my neck, and knew exactly what they were. He told me that he sent me to Resembool all those months ago because he knew my time was coming. That he agreed to accept me into the military if only to keep tabs on me until that day came. He told me his true intentions and revealed his Ouroboros tattoo. And he told me that if I didn't cooperate with them, my mechanic would be killed.

"You— You leave her out of this!" I remember shouting.

At that point fear wasn't even what was clouding my memory. It mutated and morphed into rage. Pure, white hot rage. I remember pulling that muscle in my chest and trying to zap him right then and there. As it turned out, my electricity only reached so far above water.

The bastard laughed at my failed attempt and closed our audience with one last threat, and one last warning.

"Tell no one of my identity, and you get to keep your tongue."

With that, the monster retreated to the upper decks of the ship. Down in the brig I stayed, chained to the floor, unable to take my mind off of what just happened. I sat there for the rest of the night. Thinking of horribly nefarious things I could do once that tyrant showed his ugly mug again.

o.O.0.O.o

Later on that night, I lay exhausted on the other side of my cell. Still chained to the floor, my tail-ankle throbbed painfully beneath the metal shackle. For the better part of the day, I was angry and upset. And when one is angry and upset for a prolonged period of time, it becomes rather taxing on both the body and mind. As one might imagine, I was quite spent.

So spent in fact, that the thought of the Fuhrer didn't ignite my hate-fire anymore. It didn't do anything. I felt nothing. Nothing but indifference. This left room for more productive thoughts. Like, realizing I had wasted a whole day, and I only had two left to think of an escape plan.

I pressed my back against a barrel and tilted my head down, slightly ashamed of myself. My long, long hair took the opportunity to fall in front of my face and tickle my nose. Annoyed, I blew the lock away, but only for it to fall back again. This drew my undivided attention to the "dead" protein for the first time.

Unlike when I spent an evening underwater, my hair, nor did my stripes, give off any bioluminescent glow. At the moment, it did not move about like it usually did when it was wet. It was completely dormant. I found myself wondering if I could cut it in this state. For the longest time I shied away from finding out. But now… Now I let my curiosity get the better of me. Anything to take my mind off my dreadful circumstances was welcome, after all.

I glanced around my environment for something sharp, or even pointy. It wasn't long until my eyes fell on the shards of a broken hand mirror, something I had not yet noticed until now. It lay tucked away behind one of the barrels. Out of sight, out of mind.

Carefully, I scooted over to it and examined the ruins.

The frame of the mirror was heavy silver, dust-caked, and engraved with wave designs. What appeared to be pieces of coral-like substance were embedded into the metal, which formed an intricate picture on the back. A giant sea star floating inside a temple, it looked like. Below the sea star, a rounded green jewel was fixed into the metal.

Something about that picture make me feel… weird. It was as if I'd somehow seen it before, and I knew what it meant at some point in time. It felt like the answer was on the tip of my tongue, but I wouldn't be able to reach it until I saw the scene in person. Like I said: weird.

I set the frame down and gingerly lifted the largest shard of mirror I could find. With my other hand, I lifted a small lock from a place I wouldn't miss if this worked, which was the back of my head. Without a second thought, I lifted the shard to the lock and sliced away.

An ungodly, double-toned screech ripped from my lips and echoed about the room.


	36. Chapter 36

Golden Scales Chapter 36

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

William stood outside Selena's cabin door, debating on what he'd say to her if she let him in. He knew exactly what he wanted to convey, he just didn't know how. He also knew it was silly to be nervous. The old him would've just barged right in without knocking and demanded what he wanted from her. But now that he'd broken from those habits, he'd begun to realize how human he could be. How close he was to returning to his real self. The self without thousands of other souls marring his take on the world.

Even so, no matter how close he was to being normal again, he knew he'd have to shift back to his monstrous form at least a few more times. If only to prove his identity in the oh-so-confusing scheme of things. To Selena, he was an ordinary jewel merchant from Aerugo. The one who'd questioned their navigation to Miru Island at the last meeting. In order to convince her to help his cause, Will needed her to understand who he really was.

Which brought him here, in front of her cabin door, debating whether he should shift his form now and get it over with, or if doing so might jeopardize his audience before it starts. Before he could make up his mind, however, he found himself knocking on the door.

"Come in," the voice inside called.

Will swallowed, remaining in his merchant's appearance, as he nudged the door open and stepped inside. Once he'd shut the door behind him and turned around, he saw Selena sitting at her desk, striking a blade with a stone: she was sharpening her sword.

Her long red hair was sloppily thrown up into a ponytail. Sweat glistened off of her tanned skin. The sleeves of her loose cotton shirt were pushed to her elbows, and her vest lay discarded at her bedside. She wore her usual long flowing gypsy skirts and leather boots.

"So," she continued casually, "What brings you here?"

Will dropped his shoulders and took the plunge. He told her everything. How he and a few other homunculi have turned against Father and plotted the bastard's ultimate demise. How they needed all the help they could get in either defeating or subduing the other homunculi. How they aimed to collect the Moon Stone and sever their unearthly ties to their Philosopher's Stones.

When he was finished, Selena said nothing for a while. She just sat there, staring at her sword, a forlorn expression robbing her face of its usual slyness. Will had begun to think Selena had zoned out, but suddenly she muttered,

"I agree with you. That ass who calls himself 'Father' ought to be slaughtered with his own weapon."

Will, confused as to where she was going with this, tilted his head.

She sighed and bowed her head. "But I suppose my weapon will do as good as any."

A wide grin spread across Will's lips. "You mean—"

"I can't join you in your fight," she interrupted, "I can't put this ship through another battle. It's due to collapse any year now, and I won't put my crew at risk, either. But… I can give you this."

Will blinked as Selena handed him her beloved sword. He stared at the blade, positively gob-smacked. The smoky green Xingese dragon seared into the metal seemed to stare back at him as if to say, "What are you looking at me for? Concentrate on your fight!"

"I-I… I don't understand…" Will finally mustered.

Selena smiled. "That is no ordinary blade, Envy. Surely you've known me long enough to realize that."

Will winced at his old name, but found himself nodding.

"You'll find that this blade will always return to you," she continued, "Even if you throw it into the sea. And you can trust it to know what to do even when you're in inch from death. Guard it with your life, and it will do the same."

Twenty seconds later found him standing outside of Selena's cabin, wondering what just happened to lead him there, holding probably the most valuable thing she possessed:

The Jade Sword.

o.O.0.O.o

For once, I woke to the gentle swaying of the boat. The natural rhythm of the sea that lulled me to sleep the night before. When I opened my tired eyes, I noticed the light missing from the lanterns. In place of that light, thick beams of golden sunshine seared their way in through the windows and illuminated the brig. In all honesty, that light should've been refracted and dissipated through the murk of the seawater. But I didn't care enough to give it a second thought.

I levered myself up into a half-upright sitting position, leaning on my side as if I were going to hurl. Bones popped and muscles all but whined in agony. I hissed in surprise when I pressed a bruise on my upper tail. My hair stung from last night's investigation. Yes, I really just said that. My hair _stung_.

Said hair writhed angrily about my head, filling me with an odd mixture of awkwardness and guilt.

Unsure what to do, I pressed the offended strands between my thumb and index finger and stroked in the direction of growth, like how one might smooth knots out of their hair. While I did this, I thought about what I might do with these last two days until the Fuhrer came to get me. Would I attack the next unlucky person to come down here and demand to be set free? Would I play good-little-captive and strike when they least expected it? Or would I wait and bide my time?

I snorted. Yeah right. Like I had enough patience to wait. Even so, they were all fair questions. If I had my legs and my alchemy, the first plan would be a no-brainer for me. But now that I had neither, how would I even go about "attacking?" How would I manage to convince them to listen to me? I couldn't very well threaten to end their life. That wasn't my style. I didn't kill people.

Yet, sitting around and pretending to be a defenseless little rabbit didn't sound like an ideal route, either. I doubted they'd trust me enough to drop their guards around something like me. After all, I had electricity. With my shark-like teeth, I had one hell of a nasty bite. And, if I wasn't mistaken, the muscles in my tail-fin were more than capable of knocking someone unconscious.

At the time, I knew I wasn't something to sneeze at. But I was still naive to the one thing sirens were known best for. My most powerful advantage still laid undiscovered in my biological arsenal. Had I known of its existence at the time, my fate may have unfolded in an entirely different direction. Long story short, I'm glad that I was raised ignorant to magic and fairy-tales. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here to tell this story.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, still thinking in the brig. Right. Well, it most likely won't be surprising to know that I eventually settled for the third plan. My least favorite, but it was also my only solid hope. However, despite my decision, I acted quite differently when the Fuhrer came down to get me. You see, I'd thought since the sailor told me three days that that was a perfect number. But in reality, with the weather perfect as it was, and no obstacles blocking the path, the ship had traveled three days' worth of distance in half that time.

When I finished my mental decision-making process, the door atop the stairway slammed open, and soldiers poured into the brig by the dozen. I panicked. And I pulled the muscle in my chest.

o.O.0.O.o

On the deck above the brig, down the hall, a random crew member was dutifully performing some maintenance work on a wall panel. So far, his day had been relatively dull. He woke up at his usual appointed time, completed his daily list of chores, and sat in the crow's nest for a couple of hours. Now, under the instruction of Selena, he mended the cracks in the walls as best he could in the second lowest deck of the ship.

Fortunately or unfortunately, his day got more interesting after that.

He just about finished his last transmutation circle when suddenly the deck started to shake. The lanterns rattled and the lights flickered. Finally, the crew member gasped as he watched a whole squadron of soldiers dressed in blue marching down the steps and pouring onto the deck. His heart began to race once he noticed that they were all heavily armed; though something wasn't quite right with their guns.

Nonetheless, the crew member took a generous amount of steps backwards.

Rightly so, too, because the world ripped yet another rug from under his feet when a very large, very intimidating one-eyed man followed the soldiers down the stairs. This one, the leader he figured, pointed a sword towards the door to the brig and ordered them forward.

Obeying the man's command, the group of soldiers squared their shoulders and plunged forth. The leader then followed the last row down, leaving the door open.

At this point, the crew member wanted nothing more than to scram and hide in his cabin for the rest of the day. But he couldn't. He was paralyzed. As if his muscles consisted of solid lead, his limbs were glued to the ground by gravity.

"AHHHGGHHH!" a voice from below screamed.

It startled him, but not as much as the sound of crackling. The bright light reflecting on the still open door. The horrid stench of ozone and burning flesh. And the screams. So many screams…

The crew member's stomach churned at the smell alone, but he actually vomited at the mental notation of those men being electrocuted. He'd witnessed electrocution plenty of times without doors and walls blocking his view, but it was still upsetting.

When his limbs turned into flesh once again, the crew member reluctantly rose to his feet with the help of the wall. From then on he tried to mind his own business and continue patching up said wall. He remembered when he'd first boarded the ship and Selena had drilled him on how he'd behave himself. She let him know ahead of time that a researcher, some soldiers, and the researcher's "specimen" would board the ship at the next port. She also told him that anything and everything he sees regarding them is nothing to be alarmed of.

He tried. He really did. But he couldn't help it when his mind wandered to an earlier conversation with a sailor. The sailor who'd visited that "specimen."

"I'm telling you, that thing is no 'specimen'! It's a siren!"

Suddenly, he found himself believing that preposterous claim. Because when the soldiers returned, carrying a scorch-covered wooden crate, they too were littered with scorch marks. Not only that, but some of them even sported bleeding wounds. Wounds that looked suspiciously similar to shark bites. The crew member could hear the thing inside the crate struggling to break free. He could see the soldiers struggling to hold the crate still.

Finally, the soldiers managed to leave for the upper decks. The leader then reappeared at the top of the brig's steps, not a scratch littering his skin. He shut the door behind him and looked the crew member dead in the eye.

"Say nothing of what you saw." he ordered.

The crew member swallowed the heavy lump in his throat and nodded his head vigorously in agreement.


	37. Chapter 37

Golden Scales Chapter 37

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

It took a long while for me to gather myself again. I sighed as I watched the world walk by outside the small cracks of my crate. A lush, green forest. It reminded me of my time with the witches, and the forests we passed through. I curled into myself and wrapped my arms around my tail as best I could. This crate was even smaller than the one before.

Despite my pitifully crammed container, I was calm. Or more specifically, I was drained. Drained of energy, emotion, and care. I remembered feeling it all leave my body along with the animalistic rage. For the longest time I would suppress the memories of what happened down in that brig. I would force myself to pretend nothing happened. That I just magically appeared at the heart of the island, where the story would continue untampered. But no matter how hard I tried, I would never forget. The lies I told myself only made the images burn stronger behind my eyes.

It was as if the universe had marked me. As if I possessed a curse of my own. The burden of knowing just how wild I truly was. How in an instant I could snap and turn savage without an ounce of voluntary thought or action.

It made me question my resolve. How could I go about my quest if I couldn't even predict my own behavior? Was this merely a survival instinct, or was it something more?

At that point in my life, I'd only seen my wild state once. If I'd known how that particular defense mechanism worked, I may have been more accepting of it. But I didn't know. And fear of the unknown is one of most powerful feelings in the world.

I'm not proud of the thoughts that crossed my mind while Bradley's men carried me to the heart of the island. They were awful thoughts that had no place in anyone's head, much less that of a young siren's. But thankfully, they didn't stay long. Eventually, my fatigue wore on me. My mind drew itself blank and my body relaxed. I let the swaying of the crate lull me into a light nap.

And I was ever-so-thankful of the pleasant and reassuring dreams I had in those short few hours.

o.O.0.O.o

Unfortunately, those pleasant dreams had to end at some point. I woke to the lid of my crate cracking under pressure. The pressure of a crowbar prying it off. Once the lid came flying off, two hands quickly reached inside and grabbed me by the tail. Their iron grip practically choked my tail-ankle.

A yelp escaped me as the hands lifted me out of the crate and tossed me on the hard ground. My form rolled over and slid into a pathetic crumpled heap before I came to a stop. I growled and picked up my head to look around. The first thing I saw was blue. Lots and lots of blue.

The ground I laid on was decorated with tiny, blue mosaic tiles. Some patches were covered in moss and dirt, but the ring around the in-ground pool at the center sparkled clear and clean. I raised my angry gaze to find dozens upon dozens of soldiers standing in a circle around the tiles. They were armed with harpoon guns, however, most of them looked understandably terrified.

 _Good,_ I thought bitterly to myself.

Soon enough I turned my attention to the man who approached me: Fuhrer Bradley, or Wrath. Whichever you prefer.

The monster smirked. "Now. Let's get started, shall we?"

As if taking a cue, one of the soldiers stepped forward and paced over to me. He knelt next to me, then pulled what looked like a metal bracelet out of his pocket and opened it. Carefully, he shot a glance to meet my gaze, as if begging me not to hurt him. Then, like lightning, he closed the bracelet over my tail-ankle and drew his hands away. He stood again and nearly tripped over himself in his haste to return to his position on the crowd.

I stared at the bracelet, and then back up to Bradley.

Answering my mental question, he explained, "That is a tracking device, Fullmetal. If you stray from the path, I'll know. And I'll have your little mechanic friend murdered. Understand?"

I hissed at my old military name. But the anger beneath my scales didn't boil nearly as hot as when the bastard finished talking. And just like that I could feel it coming again. My hair, dry as ever, began writhing on its own accord. My vision turned red. My heart began to race. The muscle in my chest poised itself for use. My body thrummed with adrenalin.

I was about to snap.

Somehow, the fear of doing so kept the switch at bay. But my anger did not subside. My demonic, double-toned voice oozed with loathing and hatred when I growled,

"I told you to leave her out of this."

In this state, I did not notice my surroundings. But after I'd spoken, half the soldiers present dropped their guns. Bradley did not move, of course.

After a moment, my symptoms finally ebbed away. When I was no longer teetering on the edge of a snap, my body noticeably relaxed and the soldiers picked up their guns again. Bradley unfroze and scowled.

"Do as you're instructed and I won't have to resort to that."

I returned an equally malicious scowl and an exasperated snort shot out of my nostrils. The monster then began walking towards me. With the pool directly behind me, I realized that he intended to push me into the water to send me on my way. I braced myself to take a merciless hit, but it never came.

When I opened my eyes again and looked up, I saw a man standing behind Bradley, holding a sword to his throat.

o.O.0.O.o

Laughter. Cold, toneless laughter echoed through the clearing.

Bradley laughed, seemingly unconcerned of the fact that a blade rested against his jugular. The man who stood behind him paid his attitude to no mind, and pressed the blade further into the monster's neck.

The guy had mousey brown hair, green eyes, and fair skin. Merchants' attire clung to his medium build, which told me that he hailed from either Creta or Aerugo. One would figure a man of his obvious profession wouldn't think twice about standing up to a monster like Bradley; especially not in such a severe manner. Though he wasn't the most intimidating guy in the world, he looked plenty pissed.

The man said nothing as Bradley's laughs died in his throat.

"And what do I owe the pleasure… traitor?"

The man did not react other than a minuscule shift in weight. His green eyes remained narrowed in concentration on his opponent, and no excessive anger clouded his gaze.

Again, the man said nothing.

But when Bradley moved to stand, he sank the blade deeper in one quick jerk of the arm, piercing the vein. Not blood, but clear fluid poured from the wound. Bradley's trained expression broke away and scrunched into one of intense pain. The circle of soldiers around us drew their guns and trained them on the merchant.

Now, I knew practically nothing about the homunculi at the time. All I really knew was that they've been around forever, so I figured they must be hard to kill. I didn't know that this meant they could heal themselves with a little help from their Philosopher's Stones. I didn't know that in the event of a physical injury, red lightning would appear around the wound to mend the damage. And I still wouldn't know this until a few minutes later.

Right then, Bradly's wound did not heal as it should have. No red lightning appeared to mend it, and I tilted my head, confused as to why blood was not oozing from the cut. I drew in a quiet gasp when green smoke rolled off the merchant's blade like fog and formed the shape of a Xingese dragon.

The merchant took a step backwards, as if startled by this, but he did not remove the blade from Bradley's neck. Just when I thought the situation couldn't get any tenser, the man yanked the sword away, reeled his arm back, and ran it through Bradley's chest.

The soldiers opened fire.

o.O.0.O.o

In that moment, several things happened all at once. My slimy hand slipped out from under me, sending me face-planting into the tiles. Bradley's wounded form fell to the ground in a useless heap, ribbons of green light circling around his soon-to-be carcass. Most of the soldiers' harpoons found their target and sank into the merchant's torso. A canon on the other side of the island fired a projectile into the sea, which had nothing to do with the events taking place at the heart of the island.

When I hauled myself up again and raised my gaze, my eyes widened in horror as I took in the kneeling figure of the merchant. Both of his hands were wrapped around the handle of his sword, which he'd stabbed into the dirt. His head lowered, I had a clear view of his back, and the many harpoons sticking straight out of it, like a porcupine. Bewildering me further, red lightning crackled across his form. The harpoons seemed to pull themselves out of the man's flesh. They fell to the ground and the wounds closed over.

The soldiers then dropped their guns and ran for the hills.

I turned my gaze to the one-eyed bastard. He lay frozen on the tiles, real blood pooling beneath him. That same red lightning I saw on the merchant crackled at his own wounds, but it was obviously weak and getting weaker. Eventually, the lightning stopped. The green ribbons of light dissipated into the air, and the monster's skin paled in death.

This left me alone with the merchant. My stomach still churning, I swallowed. But before I could say anything, the man (or whatever he was) rose and unearthed his sword. He began to make his way over to me, and for a terrifying second I thought he intended to kill me as he did Bradley. But my worries were relieved when he sheathed the sword and stuck his hands in his pockets in a mock-casual manner.

"W-Who are you?" I finally mustered.

Ignoring my question, the man muttered to himself, "I can't believe that actually worked…"

It was now that I noticed his shaking legs, his unsteady posture, and the exhaustion in his expression. His body quaked as he lowered himself into a sitting position a few feet away from me. Here he took a few shaky deep breaths in an effort to calm himself, assumedly.

"Who are you?" I repeated patiently.

The man jumped and looked up at me, as if noticing my presence for the first time. He blinked.

"William," he answered, "My name is William."

His rough voice varied in tone, as if he were almost unsure of his words. But then his expression cleared. He nodded to himself and rose to his feet.

"You have to leave. Beth is waiting for you in Shea City."

I straightened, surprised to hear that name again. "Beth? Why? Is she in trouble?"

The man- no, William looked down at me with a half-glare. "No. _You're_ in trouble. We need to take you somewhere safe. Somewhere Father won't find you."

Now it was my turn to blink. "We…?"

Again, he ignored my question. He closed the distance between us and scooped me into his arms. Alarmed, I pulled the muscle in my chest, sending a shock-wave through both of us. Yet he seemed unphased as he started walking.

"We don't have much time. You need to find Beth and go with her."

Then William broke into a light jog, heading back the way the soldiers brought me.

Hours passed as I sorted my thoughts and settled into the idea of being lugged around by yet another almost-stranger. He didn't seem to want to hurt me, and he knew Beth. I supposed that this was good enough for me. And so I relaxed into his grip and impatiently awaited our arrival to… wherever he was taking me.

Wherever he was taking me turned out to be the northern shore of the island. I knew north because of the westward setting sun. A setting sun which bleached the sky in an impressively bright array of colors. William stopped, not to marvel at the sky, but to drop me into the sand.

I hit the ground with an "oomph" and angrily wheeled around to face him. He cut off my rant when he said,

"Swim due north from here and you should reach Shea city in about seven days. If you want to see your 'mechanic' again I suggest you listen. We can't defeat Father without you."

William looked me right in the eye and spoke in an earnest tone. I could tell just from his voice that my arrival in Shea city was crucial to his plan. Half of me wanted to obey, but the other half suspected him. Bradley called him "traitor," and that same red lighting tried to heal him. I'd connected some dots on the way to the shore and concluded that he was the same species as Bradley: a homunculus.

"Uh-huh…" I answered emotionlessly.

A scowl scrunched William's face. "Listen, _siren_ , we've worked our asses off to keep you safe thus far! You may not have noticed it, but we've been following you this whole time. Greed sent you on your way to Resembool! Martel gave you the map and saved your sorry ass when you were pinned to the bottom of the river! Beth told you the witches were safe and gave you relief! I followed you here and killed Wrath! It's about damn time you've paid us back!"

Suddenly my thoughts were sent into a jumbled frenzy. But I wasn't given the opportunity to sort them.

"Meet Beth in Shea city in seven days' time." William commanded.

Then he stepped forward, grabbed me by the tail, and tossed me into the sea.


	38. Chapter 38

Golden Scales Chapter 38

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I cannot describe to you my initial experience in perfect detail. When I sank into the sea for the first time since I was a toddler, the sheer amount of sensory input must've overwhelmed me. From what I did remember, I know that I blacked out for a length of time. More than likely a length of time my body spent realigning itself, because upon waking I was able to take in my environment without any issues.

And what a gorgeous environment it was. To this day, I can still play that scene in my head and end it feeling as if I just traveled through time.

The first thing I saw? Blue. Lots and lots of blue. Not just any old blue, either. A whole rainbow of blue danced with the currents, richer and deeper than any blues that could be fathomed above the surface. Little did I know, these rich blues could not be fathomed even below the surface unless one possessed the necessary eye sight. Eye sight like mine.

After I'd been sufficiently wowed by the color blue, I lowered my softened gaze to find an intricate ecosystem thriving at the bottom of the shallows. I couldn't help but flick my fins to move closer.

Spread out under me, dozens upon dozens of fish swirled through the currents, many of which belonged to species I'd never seen before. The fish with bright, striking colors caught my eye for the most part. Though I appreciated the duller masses for what they were: masses. Next, I noticed the crustaceans and sea-mollusks, which clung to strange structures. The structures seemed to consist of shells, sand, and dead… worms?

Coral was the word my mind produced.

I looked around me to find the same ecosystem repeating itself as far as my eye could see. Though those same sights would never cease to take my breath away, I couldn't help but sense there was something more. Somewhere in this big blue fish-bowl, there lay the city of my people. I just had to find it.

But then my brain caught up with my heart. I realized with great disappointment that I still had goals to reach, places to be, and a body to retrieve. Locating the City of the Sea would have to wait until my, hopefully, eventual return. It was the Resembool sandpit all over again. Only now I stood a few inches closer to ending it. Er, floated, rather.

All I had to do was meet Beth in Shea city. That sounded easy enough.

This didn't stop me from continuing to gasp and goggle at my ancestral home. But I did force myself to swim forward, my new inner compass guiding me due north.

Hours passed before my hair began to pick up an odd patch of movement. It didn't feel like a little fish, or even a mass of fish. It felt solid and much, much bigger than myself. I halted my swim and fretted over this as I looked around. I saw nothing. Just my own bioluminescence radiating from my stripes.

Without my voluntary consent, my heart picked up speed. I bared my teeth and flared my fins and hair, seemingly in an effort to appear more threatening. The thing glided closer and closer, yet I still saw nothing. My inner alarm bells rang vigorously, warning me of danger over and over again. The muscle in my chest began to tighten all on its own.

My body propelled itself upward just in time to avoid the shark's maw.

o.O.0.O.o

Winry stepped off the platform, the wind rustling her long travel coat, and breathed in the hot Aerugonian air. She opened her eyes and saw a great open plain of grass spread out before her. Quickly, she took hold of her suitcase and headed towards where her escort stood. The dark-haired man chatted with a few of the locals, who pointed southward, as if giving directions. For all Winry knew, they could've been.

Nonetheless, she didn't care. She only decided to stay with the man for one reason and one reason only: to put off throwing in the towel.

By staying here in Aerugo, she still had the opportunity to do something. To be of some use, instead of returning to Resembool empty-handed. At least, that's what she'd convinced herself.

The man turned around and gestured for her to hurry. With a slight pout, she shifted the weight of her luggage and took longer strides.

"There's an inn a few miles from here," he told her, "We'll drop off our things there, alright?"

She gave him an absent nod. He nodded back and said something in Aerugonian to the locals before hefting his own luggage and leading her down an endless gravel road.

Earlier that day, Mustang explained to her the real reason he was on that train. As it turned out, he was participating in an international meeting on the Fuhrer's behalf. Against all odds, he chose the Colonel to stand in for him instead of the Amestrian ambassador, or even one of the more qualified generals. Mustang claimed that catching the Xingese "prince" and his body guard was merely a bonus.

Again, Winry didn't care for the details and technicalities. Her only concern was her position in all of this mess: an Amestrian civilian. She would represent the common folk of the country, acting as a significant advantage on the political chess board, he explained.

"Basically, your job is to sit there and look pretty." he'd said. "If anyone asks you a question, I'm relying on you to give them a smart answer."

He gave her a meaningful look as he said this, which she took as this: he expected her to lie if necessary. At this point, she was too emotionally exhausted to argue.

And so she agreed to the terms. She'd help the Colonel with his mission while she figured out what to do next. Coincidentally, she told herself repeatedly, this important meeting took place in quite possibly the most convenient location for her decision-making.

Shea city. Right on the coast of the South Sea.

"We're here," a voice said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and took in the sight of a decent-looking building. The sign out front read: Mika Inn. Winry's face fell in exasperation. From what she saw of the map, they still had a ways to go before they reached their destination. They'd probably be boarding one last train.

Showing her reluctance in a dramatic display, she fell to her knees and let out an annoyed groan.

o.O.0.O.o

Sharp speckles of moonlight clung to the wooden walls of their container. Speckles that shifted with the gentle movements of their newest companion. Despite this, the atmosphere of the train car was grim. Hardly anything could distract them from their fear. Fear of failure. Fear of defeat. Fear of the unknown future. At least, Aliss and her sisters felt this way.

From what she'd gathered of the strange little knight so far, Alphonse harbored a rather cheerful, optimistic spirit. He didn't easily succumb to fear or despair. Sheer and unwavering determination drove this kid forward. Though he kept this untamed force under wraps. He hid it well with kindness and generosity.

Unlike their last companion, Alphonse possessed all of his memories. He had everything he needed to display the results of his experiences. He had personality, sass, and sarcasm. Just like humans did.

From what Aliss heard, Ed must've received his memories before he met his brother again. Alphonse had, somewhat awkwardly, walked them through what happened. In a way, Aliss felt glad that she'd forgotten the clam shell. If Ed hadn't regained his memories and met with his brother, they might never have gotten the opportunity to meet Alphonse. They might not have gotten a second chance.

 _A second chance_ , Aliss repeated to herself.

She smiled. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe Orta saw fit to give them mercy.

Aliss rose to her feet and made her way over to the armor's side, where she seated herself to join him. He said nothing. He didn't even move. Then she concluded that he may have been zoning out, like his brother often did. So she turned her attention to the ever-changing landscape. They were passing through a desert, it looked like. An ocean of sand stretched out as far as Aliss could see in all directions.

She scrunched her nose in disappointment. She hated the desert. It was hot, dry, and unpleasant. When it wasn't hot and dry, it was frigid and dry. They were the most miserable, inhospitable places of the earth. The only aspect that served a wisp of a purpose was the sand. Sand could be melted down and turned into glass. And so the world would never be short on glass.

Even at this, Aliss quirked her lip in slight disgust. She had other reasons for loathing the desert as well. It was where they'd lost their sister. One cold and unforgiving night in the desert.

She and Alphonse alike were pulled out of their thoughts when Allephe stepped between them and said,

"Look. We're almost there. Shea city."

Before Aliss could properly take in the sight of the city, her sister was already closing the door.


	39. Chapter 39

Golden Scales Chapter 39

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

o.O.0.O.o

I froze.

My mind wiped itself clean of any rational or coherent thought. Every muscle in my body ceased to respond to outside stimuli. Only my eyes took in the horror of what was happening. And any productive reaction I might've had was nullified by pure shock.

I heard my heartbeat. Slow and steady. As if I had all the time in the world to digest what was happening to me. But in reality, I had none at all. It was already too late. The dull stinging of my tail barely reached my brain. I couldn't register the streams of cobalt oozing from me, for I could not move. The rhythmic swishing of my tailfin keeping me aloft and upright in the water had long since halted.

I was sinking through the water. Deeper and deeper into the black abyss.

"Hey!" a distant voice called.

At first, I couldn't even make sense of it. I didn't even register it as a word until the voice repeated itself.

"Hey!"

I blinked, the first voluntary movement I made after the second attack. That voice… I'd heard it somewhere before. I recognized it. But who…?

"What are you doing?!" it called again, snapping me out of my thoughts.

It jarred me out of my trance, as well. And for the rest of my life I'd be ever-so-thankful that it had. Because right then the shark was gliding in for its third attack.

Immediately, instincts took over and commanded my body. I thrashed myself skyward to dodge the bite, then I bolted southward towards a patch of rock formations. My gills expanded and contracted a mile a minute, and my heartbeat audibly picked up to racing speed. I could feel a hearty dose of adrenalin coursing through my veins.

I lead my predator under a rock archway and into a labyrinth of stone. Whilst flicking around a corner, I scraped my shoulder on a protruding stone. I didn't have time to hold the wound or even hiss as I nearly nose-dived into the next wall. Quickly, I fanned my hair out and determined more hollow space to my right. I squished myself into a short tunnel, my hair monitoring the shark's movements behind me.

I wasn't even close to losing it. Yet.

Of course, my little catch-me game had to end eventually. I'd only managed to tucker myself out. I approached the last archway. Performing the aquatic equivalent of standing with my hands on my knees and catching my breath, I glanced behind me, somewhat surprised to see the shark still working its way through the stone maze. Even so, I didn't have much time. A few more corners and it would be right on top of me again.

I took a deep breath. Then I vaulted forward, intending to squish through the archway and take this chase to the open sea again. But the closer I got, the smaller that archway appeared. And I was already going too fast to backpedal by the time I drew close enough to realize I wouldn't make it through.

I closed my eyes. Time seemed to creep forward as stinging pain worked its way down my sides, stripping my scales right off my flesh. The scraping stopped at the widest portion of my body: my hips. Only my shoulders and torso twisted to enter the archway sideways. Once the stone arch had connected with my hips, my body ground to an abrupt halt.

I was stuck.

I tried to wiggle backwards, turn sideways, push forward, but my pelvis wouldn't budge. It was wedged in, and no amount of force would free me unharmed. I could no nothing but squirm in pain as the rock pressed into my raw, scale-less flesh. And I realized with despair that I didn't have any more time. Like an idiot, I'd trapped myself in the very doorway that should've set me free. I didn't want to. But I fanned out my hair for what I believed to be the last time.

I sensed it. The shark had turned the last corner. My time was up.

You know how when you're an inch from death your whole life flashes before your eyes? How you see all of the things that were important and meaningful in your life? All of your loved ones and all of the memories you held dear over the years?

Well, that didn't happen to me. All I saw was the inside of my eyelids as I waited for the inevitable.

"Stop!"

The movement of the shark ceased. My eyes snapped open. Knitting my brow, I realized with some degree of concern that it wasn't the same voice that had saved me earlier. It was different. Male. Almost regal. But most importantly, very commanding.

"Go on! Scram!" it spoke again.

My breath wavered. I could feel the shark retreating. And a new patch of movement approaching. Instinctively, I began to struggle again. The effort only rewarded me with a fresh bout of pain.

"Hey, need a hand there?"

It took me a moment to realize the voice was addressing me. Something was definitely off about this voice. Every time it spoke it set me on edge. Alarm bells deep inside me rang, but not in warning of danger. Just a warning. Like an idiot, I said,

"I'm fine!"

After I'd spoken I found myself blinking. The words I'd said didn't sound quite right. Like I'd meant one thing, but said another. I had no time to properly mull over this, because the voice cut off my thoughts.

"You don't look fine," it argued, "Here, let me help."

The alarm bells died as it moved close enough for me to see. In the distance, the figure of what appeared to be a human began to form. My gills filled themselves as the "human" stopped in front of me, my natural glow illuminating his form in soft gold.

He appeared to be a regular teenaged human, maybe seventeen. He had dark hair, tanned skin with a medium-muscular build, and sea-green eyes that reminded me of my mother's. He wore a faded orange tee-shirt, shorts, and -strangely enough- a cord with beads around his neck.

"Y-You're a human…" I managed to mutter.

The guy grinned as he fished an ordinary-looking pen from his pocket. "Technically, I'm only half. I'm surprised you don't recognize me."

I knit my brow. "Should I?"

He shrugged. "I guess not. My dad said this is a… er, different region of the ocean."

"Uh-huh…"

He shook his head, smiled, and extended his hand. "My name's Percy. I'm the son of Poseidon."

I blinked before shaking his hand and replying, "Edward. Son of Trisha Elric."

Before I could digest the new information, "Percy" uncapped his pen. To me, it looked like a regular old pen. Nothing special about it. But when he swung it towards the top of the archway, the stone exploded into rubble, setting me free. I gasped.

"How did you do that?!" I exclaimed, holding my bleeding wounds.

He re-capped the pen and turned to face me with a crooked grin. "Lots and lots of practice."

My jaw dropped open. "B-But… that was just a pen!"

Percy frowned and uncapped the pen again. Still, I saw nothing. He looked back and forth between me and the pen. Finally, he asked,

"Wait. You mean you can't see it?"

"See what?"

"The sword…?"

"Um… no?"

He made a face, like he'd just bitten into a sour lemon. Then he blinked and shook his head.

"That's really weird. I thought the Mist only worked on regular people."

Now it was my turn to frown. "The mist?"

"Forget it. It's not important, I guess. New ocean, new rules."

I began scratching my scalp in confusion, officially weirded out by this guy. "Right. Well… I'm just going to go now… Thanks for the help."

I turned to leave, but then he blurted, "Wait! Where are you going? You're hurt."

Chiming in agreement, a fresh bout of pain stung my wounds. I turned to half face him.

"What's it to you?" I grumbled crankily. I just wanted to leave. He saved me from the shark. Big deal. That didn't give him the right to treat me like a baby.

He straightened, taken aback by my harsh words. "Dude, you're injured and there are sharks everywhere. Where are you going?"

Sighing, I said, "The Northern shore."

Percy's green eyes widened. "You mean, across the ocean? That could take forever! And something needs to be done about your wounds before you bleed out!"

I could feel what little blood I had left rise to my cheeks. Slightly embarrassed, I covered my sides with my arms. "So what?! That's not your problem! I can take care of myself!"

Percy placed his hands on his hips. "Mhmm. Like how you took care of yourself back there with the shark?"

I bit my tongue and choked down an insult. He was right. Damn sassy about it, but he was right.

"Whatever. What do you suggest I do then?" I spat, crossing my arms.

"How about you come with me to my father's palace."

Now I was taken aback by his words. "Palace? Who is this Poseidon, anyway?"

He tilted his head sideways in astonishment. "Dude, you don't even know who _he_ is? Have you been living under a rock?"

"No I have not! I just haven't been here very long! That's all!"

Percy quirked a brow.

"Never mind," I told him, "Just tell me how far this 'palace' is."

He chewed his lip. "Not far. But…"

"But what?" I asked.

"I just remembered something," he stated nervously, "My father told me about some ancient monsters rising. And something about the winter solstice. I'm pretty sure that's next week. We need to get there as soon as possible."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, those 'ancient monsters' are far from rising. Tell your father that he's got nothing to worry about."

He tilted his head again. "How would you know? You're just a… um…" Percy let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head as he searched for the right words.

"Go on. Say it."

Dissipating the thick tension in the air, he quickly changed the subject.

"…Anyway, I'd still like to get there before tomorrow," he finished, turning around and heading northward. I stayed behind for a moment.

Once he'd gotten over the ridge, he turned around again and asked, "You coming?"

I looked down at my bleeding wounds. My arms were doing a shoddy job at keeping me from bleeding out. As I lifted said arms, new plumes of cobalt rose from my throbbing sides. Another stab of pain cut through me before I met Percy's gaze and answered,

"Yeah."

o.O.0.O.o

 **Additional Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.**


	40. Chapter 40

Golden Scales Chapter 40

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

o.O.0.O.o

For the first couple of minutes, we journeyed in silence. I looked up at the surface and saw weak white light struggling to pierce through the waves. I pondered it a few moments before concluding it to be the moon. The moon seemed to act as an anchor of sorts. Whenever I gazed skyward on my travels it would always be there. Even if I couldn't see it. It would always be there, and I probably never had to worry about it leaving me. Unlike so many other people, dreams, and emotions I once had.

We passed over thousands of little ecosystems as we traveled. The crustaceans crawling about the coral caught my eye the most out of all of it. Suddenly a picture formed in my mind: Aliss setting down a large wicker basket on a kitchen table, similar species of crustaceans spilling out along with a hearty helping of fish. I smiled at the memory.

It wasn't long before my travel partner began asking questions. We picked up a light conversation and chatted about nothing of significance. Though as soon as I began to speak I remembered an earlier thought that passed unresolved.

"So… have you noticed anything odd about the way we're speaking?" I eventually asked.

He frowned. "Odd? What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if it's just because we're underwater, but I think it sounds odd. Like when you mean something, but say it in a different way."

I scoured my brain for a better way to explain it. Nothing came to me.

"Hmmm…" Percy hummed thoughtfully, "Yeah, I'm not following you."

I rolled my eyes. A few moments of silence passed between us before he snapped his fingers and said,

"Oh! Like we're speaking a different language?"

"Yes! Exactly."

He rubbed the back of his head "Now that you mention it, I noticed that too. Do you speak ancient Greek?"

I paused, taken aback. "Huh?"

"I'll take that as no… Hm. I don't know. Maybe we're speaking some sort of mother tongue of the ocean."

More moments of silence slipped by as I pondered this. I thought back to my alchemy studies and all my years of traveling with Al. I remembered picking up a little bit of Cretan whilst scanning through some old tomes. When we returned to Resembool, I remembered how Winry squealed in delight as she listened to Al and I pass a crude conversation.

"You know," I mused to no one in particular, "Winry always thought it'd be cool to learn a second language."

Percy quirked a brow. "Winry?"

I shook my head. "She's my mechanic. Or, at least, she used to be…"

At his silence, I thought we'd dropped the subject. But when I glanced over I saw a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Ohhh. I see. Is she your girlfriend?"

Immediately, I felt all of my blood rushing to my cheeks. "WHAT?! No! You— you're CRAZY! Like I'd ever date a gear-head like her! I—"

My rant was cut off by his hearty bout of laughter. Not a chuckle, not a giggle, a full-out laugh. I growled and crossed my arms.

"Whatever. She's NOT my girlfriend."

Percy finished his laugh and habitually wiped at his eyes. "Okay, dude. Sure."

I gave him an evil glare, but decided to let it drop.

"So… what's she like?" Percy eventually asked.

I scrunched my nose, unsure why this conversation was relevant.

"She's a pain in the ass. I've known her for as long as I can remember, and she's always been like that. If you do something stupid, she either yells at you, throws something at you, or both. I swear, one day I'll nail _her_ with that damned wrench!"

He laughed. "Same. Only, Annabeth likes to throw books. Or, even worse, make you _read_ them."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"No, I don't think you understand," he began, dramatically gesturing with his hands, "These books are all about architecture and physics and all sorts of other mathematic crap. And they're heavier than any book should be. If I didn't know any better, I'd think they were reinforced with iron or something."

I smiled and quirked a brow. "You really don't like reading, do you?"

"You got that right," he confirmed, flashing a grin.

After that, the conversation flowed smoother. Time slipped by without my notice until we approached another ridge.

"I think we're here," Percy stated after a while, pointing forward.

Sure enough, when we reached the top of that ridge, I gasped as I took in the shining city that spread before me in the valley below.

o.O.0.O.o

Gleaming mother-of-pearl towers jutted skyward at intriguingly off-center angles, like crystals in a geode. Encased in a soft white glow, they shimmered like silver mirages. As impressive as the towers alone were, the next thing I noticed took my breath away for the second time. A huge, silver coral-encrusted gate sparkled at the very front of the palace. They hung off two pillars of white marble, looking both welcoming and charming. Sea-vines and anemone gracefully blanketed the pillars themselves.

"Wow," I breathed after a while.

I couldn't see it at the time, for my eyes were glued to the city, but Percy grinned. "Amazing, isn't it? My girlfriend helped design it, you know."

I knit my brow without looking away. "Your _girlfriend_ designed this?"

"Well, she only helped out when they were designing. But the towers were her idea."

I whistled. "They're gorgeous. Tell her I said that next time you see her."

"Will do," he agreed, laughing.

With that, he led me over the ridge and across the valley. Said valley was, of course, covered in wonder and beauty. Had I been able to look away from the city, I might've noticed this. As it went, I'd have to gawk and stare at it the next time around. Before I know it, we were floating in front of that magnificent gate.

Percy stretched out his arm in front of me, gesturing for me to wait. Then he swam up to it and knocked on the metal a couple of times with a gentle hand. He backed up just as it began to swing open.

"After you," he said, waving his hand forward.

I hadn't noticed it until now, but my heart had been racing since I first laid eyes on the city. I think somewhere at the back of my mind I knew this moment was big. I'd finally get to see where I came from. I'd get to see another siren for the first time in forever. I'd get to see all of those silly fairy-tales swim off the pages and be.

My tail-fin flicked on its own accord, sending me gliding forward through the gate. When I looked up at city again, I gasped for the third time.

There they were.

Hundreds of them, in all different colors. Swimming here, there, and everywhere. In and out of towers. Through the open water. Along the mosaic-tiled streets. Over the lush gardens. Up and around tall sea-plants. Some were old, some were young. Most of them had stripes, but all of them had long, long hair. And all of them glowed.

Completely mesmerized by the sight, I floated there still and stiff as a board. That is, until a group of younger sirens swished through the water after a large fish, laughing and teasing each other. The current nearly pulled me off balance, and it was then that I snapped out of my trance.

"Come on!" a familiar voice called.

I snapped my gaze to my right and noticed Percy on the other side of the street, wildly gesturing for me to follow him. I flicked my fins to catch up to him. They burned with exhaustion, something I hadn't noticed before. Percy seemed to pick up on this and slowed down.

He guided me through the streets at a leisurely pace, letting me take in the details of my surroundings. From afar, the towers and coral were breathtaking. But floating at street level beneath them, you could see just how enormous they truly were. They were at least three times as tall as the tallest buildings in Central on average. The fact that most of them rose from the sea floor at an awkward angle should've hindered their stability, but none of them appeared to be at risk of collapsing any time soon.

Now that I hovered directly above them, I could see the mosaic tiles of the streets a lot clearer. They formed square curly designs on the sides, and featured pictures stretching across the center. Pictures of monsters, animals, mer-people, and creatures that I couldn't even wrap my head around. I glanced over a fair amount of pictures before I flat out stopped to stare at one.

I recognized it. From where I couldn't say, but I'd definitely seen it before.

It was a sea-star inside what appeared to be a temple. The sea-star hovered above an actual jewel encrusted into the street. A green translucent jewel that resembled an oval marble.

This image meant something. I could feel it.

"Edward?" a voice asked, bringing me back to the present.

I blinked at Percy and shook my head. I glanced at the picture one last time before letting him lead me away.

o.O.0.O.o

"Are we there yet?" I groaned.

Percy glanced back at me and frowned.

"No. We've still got another ten minutes or so."

I let out a piteous, inhuman whine that sounded like a cross between a cat's growl and a rabbit's scream. He gave me a sideways wide-eyed look. I felt blood rise to my cheeks and I looked away sheepishly.

Which reminded me.

I glanced down at my sides and quirked a brow in surprise to see my sides had stopped bleeding. In fact, the flesh itself had completely healed. The only remainders of my wounds were patches of missing scales. I blinked.

"Well would you look at that," I muttered to no one in particular.

Percy looked all around and frowned. "What?"

"It's nothing."

He gave me a confused half-smile before returning his gaze ahead of us. Moments ticked by before I let out another quieter groan. My fins were stinging from overuse. My hair drooped and dragged behind me lifelessly. The muscles in my tailfin grew sluggish. At my groan, Percy glanced at me again and decidedly stopped.

"Dude, you look exhausted," he announced, "Maybe you should call it a night."

"No, I'm fine. Really." I insisted, albeit tiredly.

He didn't buy it. Looking up and around, he caught sight of a random siren passing over us and swam up to stop her. I frowned but stayed put. It wasn't like I had much of a choice, anyway. If I moved another inch I was sure my fins would give out on me. I watched as a quick conversation passed between them. After a second, the siren gave him a firm nod and followed him down towards me.

"She says you can stay with her for the night," Percy explained.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "You're safe in the city now. Besides, my father would probably prefer it if I came alone. I'll see you again tomorrow."

With that said, he quickly glided up and away, leaving me alone with the brown-scaled siren. She gave me a small smile and outstretched her hand for a shake. Once I'd lost sight of Percy, I gave a sigh and reluctantly shook her hand.

"Hello, Edward," she greeted kindly, "My name's Marie Harrison."


	41. Chapter 41

Golden Scales Chapter 41

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

o.O.0.O.o

The next thing I remembered was waking to nothing and no one. When I opened my eyes I saw nothing. When I strained my ears I heard nothing. I stretched my fingers outward and came in contact with what felt like something solid, smooth and cold. For a brief moment, I panicked. Until I remembered the events of the night before.

When my eyesight adjusted to the dim lighting, I recognized the little sponge-lined alcove I'd slumbered in, along with the rest of Marie's tower. Of course, I didn't remember everything. After all, I was already half asleep by the time Marie lead me through the streets to her humble residence. But I did remember bits and pieces of the brief tour she'd given me before guiding me to my current alcove.

Just as I'd seen the night before, small groupings of crystals jutted out of the walls, evenly spaced and glowing brighter than any gem (or light-bulb, for that matter) I'd ever seen. The crystals illuminated the many floor-rings that lined the tower walls. Natural light from the various openings filtered inside as well.

The walls themselves were void of any sharp edges or corners, seemingly melting into one another. Clinging to those walls were brightly colored sea-plants, sea-stars, crustaceans, and anemone. Fish lazily floated through the openings. They came and went as they pleased: in one opening and out the next.

It all looked very impressive to me, though Marie refused to accept my praise out of modesty.

I stretched my sore form and pushed myself off the ledge. Had the tower resided in the open air of land, I would've surely fallen to my death. However, the sluggish movement and dampened gravity thankfully didn't permit it. My fins instinctively began flicking to keep me aloft and I hovered there a moment to collect myself.

Once my thoughts had been organized, I remembered why I was there: to rest. And, well, I'd rested. My eyes slid across the interior of the tower, scanning for the siren who'd been kind enough to let me stay. I frowned when I saw no sign of her. I swam to the center of the tower.

"Marie?" I called.

No response.

Some time passed before I called her name again.

"Marie?"

Still, I got no response.

My lip quirked. My gills filled themselves and I released an impatient sigh. I turned myself this way and that, searching for an opening that might've lead to another section of the tower. However, when I hovered beneath the hole in the floor-rings, something three levels above caught my eye.

Something bright blue. Bluer than even the ocean-sky. It danced in the current, luring my thoughts away from my task. Soon enough, it lured my body away as well. I found myself floating before the opening, and gasping at the third marvel of the sea.

 _No way_ , I thought, _Is this… a garden?_

A ledge stretched out beneath the opening, blanketed in an astounding variety of colorful glowing plants. Trellises and arches accentuated the little stone-lined paths that spread here and there. The blue plant that I'd spotted earlier wreathed the exterior of the opening and the arches.

It's hard to describe these plants, because there are hardly any similar land plants to adequately compare them to. At least, I figured they were plants. For all I knew they could've been animals.

Nevertheless, I was amazed. In fact, a big smile stretched across my face.

"What do you think?" a voice asked, spooking me.

I turned to see Marie poking her head out the opening. I gave her a wide smile.

"It's awesome!"

Grinning back, she swam out behind the wall and into the garden. She led me through the little stone paths and identified all of the little animals, plants, and crystals. A surprising amount of what I thought were plants turned out to be animals. Like, almost all of them. As if demonstrating their animal-ness, most of them closed up whenever we got too close.

"Jack would've loved this place," Marie muttered wistfully to herself.

I glanced up at her and furrowed my brow. "Jack?"

A sad smile crept across her lips. "My son. I… lost him when he was three."

At this point, bells began to chime. Not literal bells, but bells of recognition at the back of my mind. And then my eyes widened when I put the puzzle together: Jack Harrison.

"Marie?" I asked.

"Yes, Edward?"

"I… Er, well— is Jack, by any chance, on land right now?"

Her jaw opened slightly, and she stared at me. "H-How did you know that?"

"Because… I've met him."

I could hear her breath leave her. I'm sure tears would've welled in her bottom eyelids had we been on dry land. She tucked her hands against her heart and asked,

"Edward? What's your last name?"

Now it was my turn to frown at her question. "Elric."

Suddenly she surged forward and enveloped me into a bone-crushing embrace. She spun me around and around until I grew dizzy, all while she laughed and squealed happily. Eventually, she let go of me. Confused, I braced myself against a nearby arch and opened my mouth to ask her why she reacted like that, but I never got the chance. Because she then answered that question all on her own.

"You're Trisha's son! Oh, I knew you were alive! Where's Alphonse? Wait, he can't be old enough yet…"

"Woah woah woah!" I interrupted. "You knew our mother?!"

She giggled. "Knew her? Of course I knew her. She was my sister."

"What?! Really?"

This was groundbreaking. I had no idea we had an aunt, let alone family on our mother's side. No one ever came over for birthdays or festivals. There were no pictures and our mother never mentioned anyone, so I figured there was no one to mention. I could see the look on Al's face already… But then the remembrance of his lack thereof shattered the image and my train of thought.

"Uh-huh," Marie confirmed, "Now tell me, how was Jack? And John?"

Melancholy blanketed me, but I tried to keep it under wraps as I filled her in on what I'd seen of Jack. I remembered her gasping when I told her about his missing arm, and how she relaxed a minute later when she remembered that sirens could heal themselves. Eventually, my distracted gaze and tone no longer went unnoticed.

"Edward? What's wrong?"

I sighed, sweeping my eyes over the beauty of the garden one last time.

"I have to go."

"Go? Go where?"

"Al… needs me back on land. I left him all alone and… he's not exactly in the best condition."

"…Oh. I'm sorry."

"No. I know how to fix him. I just need to find something. But… I have to meet someone first. In Shea city, I think."

Marie's eyes widened in recognition. "That's not far, though I doubt Poseidon will let you leave."

I whirled around to face her. "Huh?! W-What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Poseidon has always discouraged our kind from visiting the over-world. But now he senses something coming. Something that will threaten this world as we know it. So now he's forbidding us to leave the city until further notice."

My eyes widened. "But I have to leave! I know what's about to happen and I know how to stop it!"

Did I know how to stop it? No. I didn't. But I was almost certain Beth would.

"Please," I continued desperately, "I have to convince him. Where can I find him?"

She sighed and crossed her arms. "He's in the palace. And normal sirens aren't allowed to enter without an escort."

I quickly racked my brain for a solution. Five whole ten seconds of pacing lent me no answers. Until I remembered something.

"Percy. I need to find Percy."

With my new goal in mind, I rocketed off the garden ledge and took to the open water.

o.O.0.O.o

As soon as I got ten feet from that ledge I ran into Percy. Or… swam into him? In any case I did, quite literally, run right into him and our skulls clanked off each other painfully.

"Ow!" Percy whined, rubbing his bruised melon, "What－"

"I need to see Poseidon!" I blurted before I could forget my resolve.

He quirked a brow but kept silent as he surveyed me for a moment. Finally, he crossed his arms and said,

"I don't know, dude. He's not in a good mood…"

"Please!" I pleaded. "It's very, _very_ important."

He took another few seconds after that to study my face. But I was getting impatient. So I elaborated,

"Look, I don't know if you know what's going on around here, or what might happen, but _I_ do. And I'm pretty sure I can stop it. But I don't have time to sit around and wait for everyone's judgment. We need to－"

This time it was Percy's turn to cut me off.

"Alright, man! Chill! Just saying 'I insist' would've sufficed."

And with that he lead me north, toward a particularly grand set of towers, with due inquisitions as to what was going on. Quickly, I told him everything I knew about the homunculi and their plot to use me. I related my own interpretations of Beth's cryptic messages and the witches' implications.

He whistled. "Wow. Sounds like quite a pickle. Practically nothing compared to some of _my_ pickles, but impressive I must admit."

I halted. "What do you mean _nothing_? You call a bunch of immortal psychos trying to obtain god-like powers and destroy the world as we know it _nothing_?!"

"Yes. Believe me, I've dealt with worse."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "Like what?"

He tilted his head and wore a thoughtful expression. "Like… the all-powerful mother-of-the-gods mud queen rising from her eon-long dirt nap to raise hell and chaos at a planetary level."

I didn't see how that was possible. But I faked a bug-eyed expression and let it slide. It didn't much matter anyway, because we'd arrived at the front gate of the palace.


	42. Chapter 42

Golden Scales Chapter 42

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

 **Author's Notes: The previous chapter is where I stopped writing more than a year ago. I apologize in advance for the state of this particular chapter you are about to read. Before I wrote it, I was forced to read** _ **The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn**_ **by Mark Twain.** **It's an excellent book, actually, and I'd totally recommend it to anyone with patience. But that's just it: you're going to need patience. Just like you'll need patience for this chapter, since my writing style likes to mock whatever I read last. The next book I plan on reading was written in this century, so… yeah.**

 **Anyway, if you find yourself nodding off while reading this chapter, feel free to skip over it. I have written a summary of the chapter at the bottom in bold just for this purpose.**

 **Also, even though I'm posting all new chapters now, that shouldn't affect the posting schedule. I started writing new chapters about a couple of weeks ago and I'm confident I can finish the story long before that last chapter is due. So, if I don't post on a posting day that shouldn't mean I'm out of chapters.**

 **PS: The format of this chapter may be a bit wonky. My file converter did some seriously weird crap to the document this time and I have no idea how to fix it.**

o.O.0.O.o

Thick, pond-sized slabs of basalt made up the floors, walls, and ceiling of the massive cavern the guards dubbed "the throne room." Faint turquoise rays of light filtered in through the cracks in the roof, which only appeared to be supported by a network of improvised pillars. No rugs, nor glowing crystals decorated the extensive and empty space. It was devoid of all the niceties one would expect from a room dedicated to a royal leader. At the far end, caked in dust, barnacles, and various forms of tethered animals, a sad and empty chair of abused stone sat upon an equally damaged dais. What Edward could only assume were giant claw marks and blast-craters littered its surface, and a large chunk of the top left portion of the back laid a few feet behind it all, as if an epic battle had taken place there. Judging from the general state of the room, that could have been exactly the case.

Percy took hold of Edward's wrist and guided him forward into the haze, where a figure Edward couldn't see before was revealed behind a hidden alcove. It appeared to be a withered old man, with a pure white mane of medium-length flowing locks, and curly scruffle clinging to his chin and upper lip. His vacant, watery gaze told a tale of sorrow and mourn as he scanned a scroll of shiny yellow cloth. Despite his incredibly aged physical appearance, he wore a gleaming outfit of bronze and leather, a magnificent warrior's armor. Grand rune-carved shoulder plates jutted from his armpits, and a sculpted sheet of brilliantly polished bronze shielded his torso, reflecting the man's incredibly built physique. Elongated cuffs of cobalt blue leather were tightly wrapped around his bulging forearms and calves; the cords of which appeared about ready to snap under the strain. A surprisingly manly skirt of leather and chain-mail encircled his hips and upper thighs, which failed to do an adequate job of hiding the knives clearly strapped to said thighs. Finally, a matching bronze helmet donning a blue stripe of horse-hair lay at his feet.

It was like no armor Edward had ever seen. It was so unlike his brother's he had a difficult time picturing it being of any real use on the battlefield. Although, he supposed it protected what it needed to without weighing its wearer down. An interesting thought.

Without even looking up from his scroll, the man grumbled in a deep resonating voice, "Percy… I thought I told you I am in no mood for an audience…"

This drew Edward's attention to the boy for the first time since entering the throne room. Next to his supposed "father" Percy looked pathetic, and Edward had to stifle a snort of laughter. Percy _did_ look rather regal and god-like when compared to a human, but in his slightly tattered orange tee-shirt and faded cargo shorts he looked like a regular fish out of water. While Poseidon appeared to have a humanoid form, there was no mistaking the fact that the man belonged in the ocean. As if acknowledging this obvious gap, Percy bit his lip and flicked his eyes to Edward. Edward, being as smart as he was, knew better than to speak to the sea lord directly unless asked. So he let the lord's son do all the talking.

"Well… I think you'll want to hear what this one has to say."

Poseidon's eyes scrunched in annoyance. "That's what all three of my guards said earlier. What makes this one so special?"

"He claims he knows what's going on… and how to stop it."

"Does he now? That's still the fourth time I've heard that said today. I ask you again, how is this one different?"

Percy looked at Edward again. "Um… uh… well, this one's a siren?"

That got his attention. For the first time, Poseidon looked up from his scroll. As soon as the man's eyes met his, it hit him like a ton of bricks. Edward could see _everything_. Everything he ever did wrong, all of his sins, and his one horrible mistake was thrust onto him all at once. It all played back to him in perfect, unrelenting clarity. Edward could feel the god's presence in his mind, watching the memories with him, and making judgments. From what he could sense, the god did not like what he saw. But then, as quick as it began, the memories dissolved and the god retracted his presence. When it was over, and Edward's senses returned to him, he was lying on his side on the cold hard floor while Percy knelt beside him, an expression of horror marring his face. A moment passed before Percy whipped his head up to face his father and all but shrieked, "What was _that_ for?! What did you do to him?!"

Poseidon sighed and closed his scroll. "A necessary precaution. But I am satisfied he is no threat. I grant him permission to speak freely to me." Upon hearing this, Edward levered himself half-upright and looked up at the god with broiling, untamed hatred.

"That was a dirty move. What makes you think you can just invade someone's mind like that?! That was no one's business but my own! HOW DARE YOU!"

Percy backed away from him, his eyes frantically flicking between the siren and his father, not quite believing what he was seeing. Poseidon on the other hand had had enough.

"Like I said before, it was a necessary precaution. If you were a king would you accept an offering for your table without first checking if it was poisoned? I am getting impatient. State your business with me or leave."

Edward clenched his teeth. Then he swallowed his anger and flicked his fins, setting himself properly afloat again. "Fine. Have it your way then. I don't know very much about them, but I know a group of immortal people called the homunculi plan to steal the Moon Stone. I'm pretty sure they're after me so I can get it for them. But a woman told me they're waiting for the winter solstice to do it. She said she was once involved with them and knew their plans. I think she knows how to stop them, but she needs me to meet her in Shea city in two days."

Percy looked lost, but right after Edward mentioned the Moon Stone, Poseidon's eyes widened. "You don't say… I see. I will just have to trust in this woman, then. After all, I don't know enough about this world to make a better judgment. From what I saw in your memories, this world's laws are like nothing I've ever encountered. I suppose I should arrange an escort to see you safely to Shea city."

"I can do it," Percy volunteered sheepishly.

Poseidon frowned. "You don't have to do that, Percy. You've done so much for our world already. You don't need to save this one too."

Now it was Edward's turn to look lost. Percy waved his father off. "It's cool, I promise. I really needed a break from sitting around doing nothing anyway." For the first time since Edward saw him, Poseidon seemed to lose his godly miasma. He appeared downright human when he scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"I hear that! Alright then. Please don't get into any more trouble than you can handle."

"You got it."

"And before you leave, take this." Poseidon handed him what looked like a small conch shell strung on a length of twine. "You will know what to do when the time comes."

His son gave him a quirked eyebrow, but stashed the shell nonetheless. With that, Percy motioned for Edward to follow as he exited the throne room. Just before crossing the threshold, however, Edward glanced back to see that Poseidon had resumed reading the yellow scroll. Again, his facial features slackened to the likeness of a mournful old man. His armor, while retaining its aesthetic valiance, seemed to sport a thin layer of dust, as if the man hadn't moved for a couple of days. Seeing him standing in that wreck of a throne room, Edward couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

o.O.0.O.o

A rusty water faucet sat fixed upon the edge of a porcelain bowl embedded into a splintered and cracked wooden counter top. Every six seconds, water drops slashed a singular orange-stained blemish on the porcelain below, producing a less-than-pleasant ringing sound that seemed to echo throughout not only the bathroom, but the adjacent bedroom as well. This did not disturb the slumbering occupant curled up under the clean linen sheets, however. In fact, the black-haired man was firmly convinced almost nothing would wake her at this point. He had attempted on three separate occasions to shake her shoulder, call her name, and even remove the covers from the bed. All of which she didn't respond to. The man didn't know what to do or think. But it comforted him to remember the events of the previous day, and how utterly and completely exhausted the young girl looked before turning in for the night.

He supposed she had the right to behave this way if, in fact, she was awake and simply chose to ignore him. Yesterday, he had asked her to accompany him to the first meeting that would kick off a week-long trade negotiation process. She halfheartedly accepted the opportunity to leave the damp, dingy hotel room. The girl had already been in a melancholy mood for quite some time before, and the effect only seemed to worsen after. However, she straightened herself out nicely during the actual meeting. The man was honestly impressed by her quick thinking and silver tongue. She had all the right answers to every question she was asked, and she even lied without waver where she needed to. Of course, an hour before the meeting, the man had given her all the answers he could possibly predict she'd need. But her delivery of those answers and the ones she had to formulate on the spot was nothing short of commendable. It was something he didn't expect from an aspiring automail mechanic with no formal education in politics.

Nevertheless, he needed her sharp skills again for the subsequent meetings. So the man sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. He decided he would wait for her to return to the land of the living. Which didn't take much longer.

Meanwhile, the girl's spirit resided elsewhere. Winry beheld a large cavern with a network of glowing rivers and pools snaking across the stone floors. A coffin-shaped block of ice hovered upright above the center of the cavern, and what appeared to be a young priestess was trapped inside. Her black hair, tied back in a white ribbon, spread out behind in all directions. She wore flowing white robes with green sashes of fabric looped diagonally across her chest and around her waist, desert-style linen pants, and nothing on her bare feet. Her body was frozen upright, her head titled back a little, and her arms spread halfway out and slightly back. Her mouth and eyes were closed, her eyebrows scrunched in what looked to Winry like mild concern.

"Hello, Winry…" a sudden voice greeted. Immediately, Winry knew it was the priestess that spoke. She wasn't surprised when the knowledge seemingly appeared in her mind. This was a dream, after all.

"Hello," Winry greeted back.

"My name is Avia. I was trapped here five-hundred and sixty-seven years ago by an envious witch. My three sisters escaped, but not without a curse. They seek a way to lift their curse and free me, but they need the help of your friend to accomplish this. Your friend, the siren with golden scales."

Winry's eyes widened. In the dream, the words came to her and spilled from her lips unchecked. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You can help both your friend and my sisters. Someday soon you will find my sisters with your friend's brother. You can join them and help them. Tell my sisters I am watching them, and I approve of their plans."

Then, without warning, the cavern melted away and Winry's blue eyes met the quizzical black ones of Colonel Roy Mustang.

"Well, well… Looks like sleeping beauty has finally awakened," the man jested with a smirk. After a couple of seconds, the smile faded and he continued in a more serious tone, "I'd like you to come with me to the rest of the meetings, if that's alright."

A little jarred by her dream, Winry sat up, barely registering the meaning of that statement. She nodded numbly and stood up to get ready for the day.

o.O.0.O.o

 **Summary of this chapter:**

 **Ed and Percy meet Poseidon. Poseidon reads Ed's mind and approves of an audience, though Ed is very angry he got to see his sins. Ed tells Poseidon that some serious crap is about to go down on land and he thinks Beth knows how to stop it. Poseidon agrees to send Ed to Beth because he doesn't know enough about the world to argue. Percy volunteers to escort him to land, and Poseidon gives him a mysterious conch shell necklace to use when they get there.**

 **Winry is in a hotel with Mustang, and Mustang reflects on how well she performed as an "average Amestrian citizen" at his political meetings. Meanwhile Winry is having a dream about the three witches' fourth sister, Avia. Avia tells Winry to pass a message to her sisters: She is watching over them and approves of their plans.**


	43. Chapter 43

Golden Scales Chapter 43

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Percy Jackson or Fullmetal Alchemist.**

 **This chapter is a lot longer than usual, but it couldn't be helped. My apologizes in advance!**

o.O.0.O.o

"You have _got_ to be kidding me…"

Allephe readjusted the map in her hands. "Nope. They're not kidding."

Amery let out a groan and sunk to her knees in a dramatic display. Aliss stood next to her nervously and fidgeted with her beads. Alphonse scanned the schedule board for the next best shipping route. The four were on the grass a little ways off from a stone path leading to the road. Up the shore on the east side, they could see the shape of a lighthouse in the distance, and on the west side they could see the bell tower of a church nestled among other tall buildings in the heart of Shea city. The settlement had the closest shipping port to Miru island, the witches told him, and it was the resting port for Samael's Greed.

"If we board the Angeline," the armor stated helpfully, "we can make it there by noon on Friday."

Lowering her map and scanning the horizon, the eldest witch let out a deep sigh. "I suppose that's better than the teleport spell."

"The teleport…? Oh yeah. How does that work again?"

Aliss frowned. "I'm afraid to say it… but I think we're too late. Even if we used the teleport spell, Samael's Greed left three days ago. They're probably already on the island. Maybe they already have the Moon Stone. At this point I… I just want Ed back."

Amery rolled her eyes, but Allephe nodded. "Even if they already have the Moon Stone, we can still steal Ed from them. Heck, they might even just _give_ him to us. If they have what they want, he's useless to them now. Once we have Ed, then we can focus on stealing the Stone… somehow."

Alphonse tilted his helmet. "Yeah about that… How do you guys plan on doing all of this? They might not even be there anymore by the time we get there."

The witches were silent for a few moments. Then Amery sighed.

"We have to try," she said. "If the homunculi succeed, the whole planet will be at the mercy of that nut-job they call Father."

No one said anything for a while after that. Alphonse took a seat on the grass next to Amery and watched the waves wash over the baking sand. His armor, he was sure, would probably burn someone's hand if they tried touching him. The witches squirmed visibly in the hot Aerugonian air. The robes they wore did not look heat-friendly in the least, though they refused to wear anything else, or even remove some layers. Alphonse wondered if they even had anything else to wear. They probably didn't, since they didn't lug any suitcases around with them.

Alphonse was just about to suggest they stop in a local shop when suddenly a voice cut off this thoughts.

"Alphonse?!"

His helmet whipped around to see an ecstatic blonde girl sprinting towards him. She wore a light pink travel coat, which was effectively tied around her waist in the heat, a simple black crop-top, a pair of white linen pants that looked three sizes too big on her, a pair of sandals, and a green bandanna that tied her hair back. It could only be one person. Of course, Alphonse didn't need to identify her by her outfit. Her voice alone told him who she was.

"Winry?!" he exclaimed.

A moment later, his brother's mechanic stood panting beside him. She looked like she was dying to wrap her arms around the armor, but thankfully it seemed she knew better. "Al, I'm so glad you're here! I thought I'd never see you again!"

If he had eyes, he would've blinked right then. "I'm glad to see you, too! What are you doing here?"

Before she could answer, a new voice spoke up.

"That would be my doing."

Behind her, a man with black hair and a cocky smirk made his way over to the group. He wore the standard military uniform of Amestris, and walked with all the grace and stiffness expected of a proper soldier. His body language implied that he wasn't bothered by the heat, but his eyes told a different story. Immediately, Al recognized him as Colonel Mustang.

"Yeah," Winry said, giving the man a sideways glare. "He's making me go to all these boring political meetings. But that's enough about me. Have you found Edward yet?"

"Uh… Not exactly. We were just-"

"A _hem_ ," a voice behind him interrupted.

For the first time, Winry noticed the three girls. She had to stifle a gasp: they looked just like the priestess from her dream. They all wore the exact same outfit, save for the differing colors. They all had the same ebony black hair as well. Ever since Ed told her about his adventures with the three witch sisters, she had pictured them as three old hags with warts and pointy hats. But that wasn't the case at all. She felt her cheeks flush as a plume of jealousy fluttered in her stomach. Nevertheless, her dream had correctly predicted the future. Because there she was with Avia's three sisters and Alphonse.

The one that had so rudely interrupted, who wore a blue sash and an ugly scowl, said, "Who are these people, Al?"

The armor stood. "Oh! Uhh, this is Winry. She was my brother's mechanic. And-"

"And I'm Colonel Roy Mustang," the man finished, "I was Edward's commanding officer."

All three sisters blinked. In creepy unison, they said, "Ed was in the military!?"

Mustang frowned. "Yes. He was a State Alchemist. One of the best, actually. But he resigned a little over a month ago."

Then he looked at Al quizzically. "He said he found a way to get your body back, Al."

The armor gasped. "He… he really said that?"

"That makes sense, actually," Allephe added thoughtfully. "Every person that holds the Moon Stone gets one wish. That's probably what he plans on spending his wish on."

The Colonel looked incredibly lost, but the sisters and Al nodded in agreement. The conversation might've gone on forever with them himming and hawing about the oh-so-mystical Moon Stone, but just then Winry remembered something.

"Avia is watching over you," she blurted, looking at the witches. "She said she approves of your plans."

All three sisters' shoulders visibly dropped. Aliss, the ever emotional one, had tears welling in her eyelids. Amery, however, knitted her brow and stared at her cautiously.

"What do you mean? How… how did Avia talk to you?"

Winry sighed. "I had a dream a few nights ago. I saw this girl in an ice coffin. She looked just like you guys. And she said what I just told you."

The sisters exchanged looks.

"That's Avia, alright," Allephe said.

"If she approves of our plans, that means they'll work," Aliss stated. "We need to get to Miru island… like, _right now_."

Then the sisters all looked at Winry. "Will you help us use the teleport spell?"

Mustang shook his head and threw a glance back at the nearest clock tower. "Alright, kiddos. You can figure this out yourselves. I have meetings to get to. Winry, you're off the hook."

With that, he promptly marched back towards Shea city hall. All Winry could process, though, was the witches' question.

"Um, I'm not a witch. I don't think I can…"

Amery crossed her arms. "Yes, you _are_. Don't lie to us."

Winry blinked and looked at Al for help, but he only shook his helmet.

Aliss said, "Amery, I don't think she knows. Not everyone knows…"

"That's nonsense!" Amery all but hollered. "How can someone _not_ know?! She's obviously an oracle following the ways of Sethea."

"That's enough, Amery," Allephe commanded. "She didn't know, and that's perfectly possible."

The elder witch looked at Winry. "We'll show you what to do. Will you help us?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on Winry. She didn't know what to think. She knew her dreams were pretty odd, but she didn't think they actually _meant_ something. And she certainly didn't think she belonged in the midst of all these magical happenings. But, then again, she had sort of asked to be useful for once in the Elric brothers' affairs. She wanted in, and now she was, most thoroughly, intertwined in the drama. Now she wasn't sure if she liked it there or not.

"I… I suppose."

o.O.0.O.o

Edward slid off the back of the beautiful creature and rubbed its snout. Rainbow, as Percy called it, snorted and made a few cackling noises, as if the area was incredibly ticklish. Even then, after having met the animal the day before, amazement still fluttered in Edward's chest. He shamelessly stared as Rainbow slithered its way back through the sand and out to sea again, along with Percy's hippocampus.

"I can't believe those things exist!" Edward said. "They're incredible!"

Percy gave him one of his weirdly expressive half smiles and said, "I don't know why that's so surprising for you. You're basically the half-human version of them."

Edward considered that for a moment. "Hmmm. Touché."

After a quick glance around him, he was surprised to see that the pair of hippocampi took them to the shore of the correct city. There, just past where the sand met grass, a large wooden sign stood proudly facing the road. In clear Aerugonian, it read: Shea City Beach. After all the weirdness of the last few months, Edward chose to ignore the fact that he just read a sign in a language he didn't know a lick of.

To their right, sitting firmly on a rocky point bar, a black lighthouse loomed above them. To their left, off a good ways down the shore, Edward could see the docks of a shipping port, which was swarmed with activity as three ships docked and let off passengers all at once. Behind that, tall buildings and a church's bell tower rose above the congested ground level and touched the sky. Straight ahead, it looked like the residential areas, coupled with the outskirts. It was then that Edward realized something: the beach was completely deserted. It was a beautiful day. Where was everyone?

When a moment of pondering came up fruitless, he decidedly ignored that detail. Remembering the task at hand, he used his arms to pull himself more up-shore. He managed to get about half way to the dry portion of the sand before Percy shook his head and came over to drag him the rest of the way.

"I'm fine!" Edward insisted. "I can do this by myself."

Percy, not impressed in the least, said, "Dude, it'll take all day if you go about it like that."

Finally, after a few more exchanges, Edward gave in and let his companion drag him to the grass. Once there, Percy dropped him unceremoniously and panted on the lawn.

"Man," he wheezed, "you're a lot heavier than you look."

The siren gave him a dirty look. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Percy wiped his nose and looked at him. "I mean it, man. I don't think I can carry you around like that. I don't know where this Beth lady is, but I hope she's not far because…"

Then he frowned, as if he lost his train of thought. A few seconds later, however, his eyes lit up.

"Oh! That's what this is for!"

He pulled out the conch shell necklace his father had given him. "Wow! He was right. It just appeared in my head. Like, instant download."

Edward tilted his head in utter confusion. " _What?_ "

Percy shook his head and handed him the necklace. "Never mind. Just put this around your neck."

The siren gave him a questioning look, but obliged nonetheless. Once the conch was secured against his chest, a bright white light blinded him as his whole body went numb. When he could see and feel again, he had to physically stop himself from screaming.

Suddenly, he was his old human self again. Thankfully, he wore a loose cotton shirt, and a pair of shorts. Miraculously, both his limbs were restored. His hair, which had returned to normal dead protein, was braided back and styled just like he used to keep it, only it was about the same length as his siren's hair. He could've sat there and marveled at himself all day, but Percy reminded him of the task at hand when he said,

"Now that that's out of the way, do you know where that Beth lady might be?"

"Not really," Edward said distractedly. "That guy only said to meet her in Shea city."

Percy nodded. "Alright. Let's start looking, then."

His companion stood up with ease, but Edward had a little more trouble. He would've face-planted in the grass if Percy hadn't caught him. Edward quickly shrugged off the help and attempted to take another step on his own, only to actually fall on his rump. Percy failed to conceal a small chuckle as he offered his hand. Edward could feel his angry blush as he decidedly took it without argument. Finally, when Percy's arm was firmly wrapped around his shoulders, they were off.

As they made their way towards the sidewalk, slowly but surely, frustration boiled beneath Edward's skin. First of all, he hated having to rely on someone else. Especially when that someone else acted like it was no big deal, like it was just the right thing to do. Of course, that wasn't a bad trait in the least. It restored his faith in humanity to see people helping people. But, dammit, this person didn't want to be helped.

Secondly, on a more serious note, Edward couldn't help but feel cheated. For over a decade, Edward lived his life mistakenly believing he was a human being. And then his whole world was turned on its head when he found out the truth. On top of that, he had to deal with the threat of the homunculi, all while he couldn't even stand up on his own. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that he needed help, and he would've never guessed in a million years where that help was coming from now. The son of the sea god? Seriously? When did his life get this complicated?

Lastly, his own body seemed to be betraying him. As he took each aided step, alarm bells were ringing in his head, urgently telling him something was wrong. Every time the bottom of his foot connected with the sand, his brain expected him to break his tailfin and flop over. And even the rest of his body didn't seem to realize the fact that he was human again. His skin fried in the blistering sun, expecting scales to shield it. His eyes wanted to stay fixated straight ahead of him, expecting his hair to pick up peripheral information. He even had to stop himself from trying to use his non-existent hand fins to aid his forward motion. With all of these expectations not being met, it made for one very uncomfortable existence for Edward.

Of course, he didn't say anything to Percy. Edward retained his stubbornness through all of his odd experiences over the last few months. He still didn't want to talk about his feelings. And Percy, it seemed, was entirely cool with not talking. He simply looked around in silence as he helped Edward to the sidewalk.

Suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, he could hear a door groaning open in the distance. He turned his head to the source of the noise to find a woman stepping out of the lighthouse. Immediately, Edward recognized her as Beth. She wore the same exact outfit, had the same vampire pale skin, and the same long, onyx hair.

"That's her," Edward told Percy.

Within moments, they were standing in front of her. But she looked downright frightened to see that a couple of teenagers managed to sneak up on her.

"W-What are you two doing here?" she asked. "This beach is dangerous. You need to leave."

Evidently, she didn't recognize him in return, which he understood. So Edward said, "Beth, it's me. Edward."

Her shoulders dropped at hearing that. But then she gave Percy a skeptical glance.

"He's here to help," Edward supplied.

Percy slapped on an easy grin and stuck out his hand. "My name's Percy."

She ignored the gesture and ushered them towards the road. "We need to get going. They'll be there in a few hours."

"Who'll be where?" Percy asked.

Beth shook her head and continued guiding them forward. "That can be explained later. For now, we need to go."

With that, they decidedly let her lead then to… wherever she planned on taking them.


	44. Chapter 44

Golden Scales Chapter 44

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

o.O.0.O.o

When that upstart witch they called Amery insisted that she was a witch, Winry didn't believe her. That claim was a little too far-fetched, she thought. Sure, Edward didn't know he was a siren until recently, but that was somewhat believable when one remembered the "ridges" he'd always had on his neck. All Winry had to go on were her weird dreams. Literally nothing else was different about her.

But when that weird black smoke poured from _her_ skin, and she felt that new muscle being pulled taut in _her_ chest, an entirely different section of her existence had awakened. When that hymn Aliss taught her vibrated in her throat and rolled off her tongue, she could feel it. She could feel her very soul hum with power. Information seemed to pluck itself from the universe and plant itself in her head, telling her she was on the right track for a teleport to an island she'd never seen before. She could see its image burning itself into her eyelids as she held hands and chanted in unison with the three sisters.

And now here she was, in a small clearing with a stone mosaic being swallowed by the earth in the middle of it. She recognized the tip of a mountain in the distance as the same landmark she saw behind her eyes.

They were on Miru island. And Winry was beat.

She had to resist a strong urge to keel over and take a nap for a week. Her eyelids seemed to be made of lead, as it took a massive amount of effort just to keep her eyes even half open. She could hear faint talking beside her, but hardly made any sense of it.

"I'm awake. Why am I awake?" It sounded like Amery.

"We're very close to the Moon Stone's resting chamber," Allephe's voice drawled. "Of course you're awake."

Alphonse told them it took about ten minutes for them to gather themselves again, which Winry believed. Then Alphonse asked what the stone mosaic was for. When the witches looked over at it, Aliss said,

"Oh no… Oh NO! That- that can't be right!"

Allephe's eyes bugged out of her head. Amery rose to her feet and ran over to it. "It's barricaded! Why would they barricade it?! Don't they need Ed to return?!"

It was then that Winry gave the mosaic her undivided attention. Sure enough, the stone circle was half sunken into the earth and large rocks were piled on top of it. A particularly large boulder blocked what she now identified as a man-sized hole in the center of it.

Without even saying anything, Al sprung into action. He clapped his hands and slapped his palms against the large boulder. In no time at all, it crumbled, clearing the hole. Unfortunately, when they all peered down it, they saw that the tunnel had been broken when the mosaic was pushed halfway into the ground. Only something the size of a small dog could fit through there now. And when Alphonse tried clearing it up with his alchemy, he came up short.

"This isn't made of anything I can work with," he announced.

The witches exchanged a few glances but no one said anything. Winry, still half asleep, didn't have the brain power to be of any help just yet. The only idea her mind coughed up was using the earth around it to pull the tunnel opening apart. But a few minutes later her brain metaphorically slapped itself when it realized by doing so they'd end up collapsing the tunnel. So there they all sat, in silence, waiting for an answer.

An answer came about three minutes later when Aliss said, "Alright everyone, stand back. I'm going to try making a geyser."

Before she could do anything, however, a gathering of bushes rustled behind them. Quickly, the witches snapped out of their shock and took battle stances, all aiming for the bushes. All Winry could do was spread her feet a little further apart and put her fists up in a guarded posture, like how Colonel Mustang taught her. Alphonse copied Winry's stance. After an extremely tense moment passed, the climax plummeted when what appeared to be an ordinary man stepped out of the bushes. None of the sisters relaxed, however.

The man froze when he saw them. His mousey brown hair was sticking out at weird angles, as if he'd just took a stroll through a hurricane. His skin, which was paler than what might've looked healthy, was positively caked in dirt with an assortment of leaves and small twigs stuck to it. His soft hazel eyes were widened in fear. He wore a simple tunic and linen pants that may have been white at one time, but were now splotched with earthy stains. A tattered blue sash was looped around his chest and tied at the waist. Gaudy gold jewelry hung from his neck and arms. He looked like a jewel merchant that just walked through a disaster zone.

Before anyone else could say anything, Allephe growled, "I know that sense anywhere. What are you doing here, Envy?"

o.O.0.O.o

Edward wasn't impressed with Shea city. After listening to what seemed like constant chatter about the place, Shea city this, Shea city that, he concluded that the rundown dump they called a city really wasn't worth the hype. Not that he'd heard any hype.

Then again, he _was_ in a whole different country. Surely things in Aerugo weren't held to the same standards as Amestris. Although, Edward had visited Creta before. During his stay there he observed both pristine capital buildings and poverty-stricken slums. Heck, they even had slums in Amestris. So after a while he decided to reserved his judgement, seeing as how such a small area couldn't possibly represent the whole of Aerugo.

In the meantime, he took in his present environment and resisted the urge to quirk his lip up in disgust. The streets were littered with garbage, feral animals, and grimy loiterers. At least eighty percent of the buildings were condemned in some way, with rotted plywood sloppily nailed to the windows, paint peeling off, bricks missing, and graffiti covering every spare surface. After they entered the center of the slums, Percy seized his hand, which had been upon Beth's command he told him.

Besides the filth of the slums, Aerugo was actually quite pretty. The skies were the bluest he'd ever seen. A whole slew of trees Edward had never seen before sprouted everywhere; Beth told him they were called palm trees. Now that they'd gotten a distance away, the sands of the beaches glittered in the afternoon sun. The view of the horizon was simply gorgeous with vast ocean separating land and sky.

Unfortunately, he couldn't gawk at the bounties of nature forever, because just then he walked right into someone.

"Ooof!" grunted a rough, deep voice.

Edward backpedaled until he could get a full view of the dude. He was massive, with bulging muscles and scars netting across tanned skin like spider webs. He wore only a slightly tattered pair of shorts and a cow-skin vest. When he turned around, an ugly scowl was plastered across his face.

He said something in Aerugonian that Edward didn't understand, but Beth returned him with an Aerugonian response. The man's eyebrow lifted as he looked Edward up and down. Then a hearty laugh bellowed out of his mouth and he whopped a gigantic hand onto his head to ruffle his hair. Edward held back every bit of rage and terror that seized him until the man moved aside and let them pass. He gave Percy a questioning look once the man was out of sight, but the guy only shrugged in equal confusion.

"I told him you were an asylum escapee," Beth supplied after a moment, barely holding back a chuckle.

Edward clenched his jaw shut. "Gee. Thanks for the save."

After they'd safely exited the slums, the dead end road lead them to the edge of a forest of sorts. Beth marched them right through the trees and underbrush until she stopped in front of a large cave.

"We're here," she stated, gesturing towards the cave. "This is where you'll wait, so make yourselves comfortable. We should come back for you in a few hours, with any luck."

Edward's eyes widened. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Beth bit her lip. Then she sighed. "We can't have Father get ahold of you again. So you're staying here, where hopefully he won't find you."

"So… you don't want my help?"

She smiled. "Believe me, I'd love your help, and the gods know we could use it, but it's out of the question."

Edward scowled. "I can fend for myself, you know. I'm not a helpless puppy. If you could use my help, then why don't you just-"

"I already told you," Beth interrupted, a sliver of irritation slipping into her tone, "it's out of the question."

For the first time, Percy spoke up. "Maybe if I came, I could-"

Before he could finish, the woman snapped her fingers. Instantly, about ten black dogs appeared out of thin air, with red glowing eyes and razor sharp teeth bared in aggression. They were about the size of automobiles, and they looked angry. The smile had completely left Beth's face now.

"You're _both_ staying here, and that's the end of it," she snapped. "We're not losing you again, Ed."

With that she flicked her wrist, and all ten of the black dogs crept towards them, until he and Percy were thoroughly corralled to the back of the cave. There the dogs stood still, mouths dripping with glowing saliva, staring at the two boys as if they wanted to rip their throats out the second they moved a muscle. Edward glanced up at the cave entrance, but Beth was gone.

They were trapped.

o.O.0.O.o

"I think I know what they are," Percy said after a while.

Sitting on that cave floor for about an hour had done two things: it made his rump go numb, and it made him think. For Edward though, it left his frustration to fester and multiply. Up until Percy said something, Edward's mind had been consumed in self-doubt. It was safe to say he threw himself his own silent pity-party. Instead of being proactive, he mulled over how useless he was, even in his human form. There in that cave is where Edward accepted that his former self, the great Fullmetal Alchemist, was gone forever. Now he was simply Edward Elric, a supremely helpless fish-person.

"That's great, Percy," Edward drawled absently, "Why… uh… why don't you tell me about it."

Edward couldn't see the guy's face in the darkness of the cave, but he was sure he gave him one of his sideways glances.

Nevertheless, he said, "I think they're hellhounds. We have them where I come from. In fact, I know the only friendly one out there. If I can get ahold of someone, he can probably help us get past them."

Then Edward could hear a grin in his voice. "Just know that he's definitely NOT my type. That needs to be _very_ clear."

Edward quirked a brow, but decided not to ask. "Alright. How are you going to contact him? We don't have a telephone in here."

"Well, hopefully he's asleep right now. That way I can talk to him in a dream."

Officially confused beyond help, Edward shook his head and mentally decided that he was just going to smile and nod from then on.

"O-Okay then… Just do what you gotta do, man."

With that, Edward could hear Percy laying down and getting comfortable on the stone floor. He expected Beth to show up and call off the dogs long before anything useful came out of Percy's slumbers. But only about ten minutes passed until something amazing happened: in the air above them, glowing green smoke appeared. It expanded and formed coils that snaked their way around the cave, illuminating everything in soft emerald light. Then suddenly the cloud spit out a piece of what looked like scrap metal and disappeared. Small bits of glowing residue stayed just long enough for Edward to identify the scrap metal as a curved sword. When the smoke completely disappeared, the blade itself emitted a very faint purple glow.

Then Edward could hear Percy rising from the floor and picking up the blade. Barely contained laughter was evident in his voice when he said,

"He was busy."

While all of this was going on, the "hellhounds" hadn't moved an inch. They didn't even growl in alarm when the sword was making its way into the cave. But as soon as Percy took his battle stance, the one in front lunged for his throat. And with one dog removed from the black wall, natural light poured into the cave, lighting up a horrifying sight.

In no time flat, the blade had been knocked out of Percy's grip, and the same dog had planted a huge paw on his chest, effectively pinning him to the ground. Two others removed themselves from the blockade and closed in on the guy.

You know how in movies and books, dramatic moments like these are always conveyed in the slowest possible way? Like, the narrator always says something like, "And in that moment, the world seemed to stop spinning. Time crawled by as the blade inched closer and closer to their throat, and here we pause this magnificent moment to analyze everyone's expressions and inner thoughts." Well, that whole time-slows-down-during-dramatic-moments bit is only to increase the tension and provide the author/director an excuse to milk that moment for everything it's worth. That doesn't actually happen in real life. If anything, time flies by in the blink of an eye.

And this is exactly what happened with Edward as he watched the first dog surge forward to rip out his companion's throat. He didn't think to get up and charge forward to intercept the bite. He didn't think to throw anything. He didn't _think_ at all. All he did was yell:

" _STOP!_ "


	45. Chapter 45

Golden Scales Ch. 45

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

o.O.0.O.o

"I'm telling you, I'm not working for Father anymore!" Will shouted.

Amery lit her hand and scowled. "And we're telling you, we aren't fooled. We know you, Envy. We don't trust your word."

Currently, the homunculus was pinned down under the weight of Al's armor and Aliss's blood spell. The end of Allephe's javelin was resting a mere centimeter away from his jugular. Apparently, Will's lack of resistance in being captured did nothing to convince the witches of his sincerity. Will considered fighting his way out of their grip, seeing as how Beth expected him back in Shea city the same day the siren was scheduled to arrive. But then Amery's last sentence gave him an idea.

"So it's _my_ word you don't trust?" he said. " Alright then, take Selena's word for it."

All three of the witch sisters made a light gasp at hearing that name. In their shock, they dropped their guard long enough for him to pull the Jade Sword out of his robes. He tossed it on the ground beside himself for their inspection. After picking up the blade and looking it over, Amery let her flames sputter out. Allephe lowered her javelin. Aliss's blood spell lost its hold on him.

"T-That's… That's her sword," Aliss stated.

Allephe looked between the blade and the homunculus. "There's no way you could've take that from her. It's enchanted. She… must have given it to you."

Will sat up, relieved. "Yes. She gave it to me to slay Father with. And I even killed Wrath with it."

He pointed to a gathering of shrubs on the other side of the clearing, where he dragged the corpse aside to earlier. Aliss, nervously twisting her beads in her hands, walked over and gasped when she caught sight of it.

"Oh _gods_ …" she breathed. "That's Wrath, alright."

Amery frowned. "How? How did that kill him? He's a homunculus!"

"The Jade Sword is very special," Will explained. "It belonged to a Xingese emperor, who often went by the nickname 'the Soul Eater.' The sword is said to host the spirit of a dragon… a dragon that would consume the soul of the sword's victim. Or in this case, souls."

Then he frowned. "Surely you girls knew that already."

Allephe shook her head. "We knew the sword was special. We just didn't know anything else."

"Um, excuse me?" Winry's voice cut in.

All eyes turned on her. She swallowed and said, "What are we going to do about the tunnel? If Ed comes back, he won't be able to get out."

Will laughed. "Ed's not in the tunnel. I killed Wrath, so they failed."

"So where is he then?" Aliss asked, hope lacing itself into her voice. "Is he here?"

"No. He's making his way to Shea city right now. At least, I hope he is. Beth is going to seal him in a cave, where he can safely wait out the battle. If Father sees that his plans are failing and Edward is there, he'll kill him so we can't succeed either."

Now it was Allephe's turn to frown. "You're turning down a powerful ally, you know. If we just tell him what he's actually capable of, he can probably defeat Father all on his own."

Will shook his head. "We're not taking that chance."

For the first time, Alphonse spoke up. "Um, sir? What exactly _is_ Brother capable of?"

"That's a question for another time," he said, smiling at the innocent inquiry. "If you guys want to help, we need to get going."

o.O.0.O.o

When everything went quiet, Edward looked up, expecting to see the results of his companion's brutal murder.

Instead, he saw that the dog's mouth had stopped mere inches away from Percy's neck. The guy's chest was still rising and falling, as well was the dog's. The creature's red glowing eyes were fixated directly on Edward's, as if it were awaiting his approval before finishing its task.

Edward blinked. Why had the dog stopped? And why was it looking at him?

These questions were left unanswered for another minute. By then, whatever had been stopping the dog before seemed to disappear little by little. Slowly, the dog started moving again, and it focused its gaze back on Percy. A string of low growls filtered into the air as, it seemed, the rest of its friends were coming out of a daze as well.

Not quite sure if it would work or not, Edward quickly yelled "Stop!" again. And sure enough, the dogs froze once more. A connection was made in Edward's brain and he realized with shaky certainty that the dogs were obeying his commands.

 _They're trained?_ Was his first thought.

Then an idea hit him.

He yelled, "Leave!"

A wide grin spread across his face as the dogs exited the cave. But then that grin disappeared as his companion rose and started for the exit as well.

"Not you, Percy!"

The guy suddenly stopped and walked back into the cave. Edward frowned when he caught sight of Percy's dull and absent gaze. He stared right into his eyes, just like the dog, as if he were awaiting further instructions. Edward didn't know what to do, so he waited for the… effect… to wear off, like it had with the dogs.

When it did, Percy rubbed his head. "Woah! That was _awesome_ , man! You're like Piper!"

"You… you know what that was?"

Percy tilted his head in thought. "What does she call it? Charm-talk? No, charmspeak! Yeah."

"Okay, but… what _is_ it? What did I just do?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "You're asking the wrong person. All I know is that you can kind of control people with your voice. It's… uh- kind of scary, actually. I almost killed one of my friends under charmspeak.

Edward thought about that for a moment. If he could control people, and some animals, with his voice, that gave him a huge advantage. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Percy asked, staring at the cave entrance.

In that moment, Edward decided: he wasn't going to sit idly by anymore. For the first time since his days as the Fullmetal Alchemist, he actually had something that gave him a leg-up in battle. Besides, he wanted to watch this mysterious Father get his ass kicked.

"Let's go."

o.O.0.O.o

For the first time in months, Beth extended her claws and pierced someone's heart. Pinned to the ground as she was, about to be smashed to a pulp, she had no choice. The lifeless, empty gaze offered no emotion, but the monster did pause. Thankfully, it was enough for her to escape its grip.

"We told you, Doll," Greed shouted, snapping his fingers and sending another wave of mutts forward. "There's no convincing that thing. It probably doesn't have an original soul to begin with."

Allister, or formerly Gluttony, leaned against a tree and panted. "As much as I don't like it, it's not worth it, Beth. Our job now is to kill it."

Shivers zipped up and down her spine as that voice ponged around inside her head, giving sound to intelligent meaning. Beth didn't think she'd ever get over that. It was just way too creepy. Nonetheless, she begrudgingly agreed with her combat partners: Sloth had to die. She saw as much when its goggles had been ripped off, revealing black empty space in place of eyes.

"Fine," she said, extending her claws again. "Let's just get this over with then."

A few more moments, and the three had fallen in a good stride. Greed's mutts would go on the direct offence to provide a distraction, while Beth's claws would attempt to pierce the Philosopher's Stone. Allister laid in wait, ready to eat said Philosopher's Stone as soon as Beth removed it.

But then everything went downhill when Pride showed up.

o.O.0.O.o

Beth was not there when Will and the others showed up. In fact, the large pipe-infested cavern was completely void of life. A pang of worry fluttered in his chest, but he lead his group to the center of the room, next to the throne of pipes. He sighed and turned around to face them.

"I guess we'll wait here for now."

With that, the majority of the group seated themselves on the floor. The blond girl and the siren's brother took up a quiet conversation. Aliss unhooked her chains and began to re-string her beads. Amery dragged a few splintered boards over and lit a small campfire, illuminating the room a little better.

Allephe, however, remained standing and crossed her arms. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? What if they lost their fight? Are you prepared to take Father on without them?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Yes. I am prepared. If they lose their fight, we'll just switch to Plan B."

Then he turned to the armor. "You. Your name is Alphonse, right?"

If he had eyes, he would've blinked. "Um, yes?"

"You're Plan B," Will stated, glancing around the cavern as if looking for eavesdroppers. "I'm not going to reveal it now, but if I feel like we're losing the battle, I'm going to give you a very important task. You got that?"

Alphonse tilted his helmet slightly, but then he nodded. "Yes, sir."

Amery stood. "That's all fine and dandy, I guess. But do you actually have a Plan A? How are we supposed to defeat father if the other homunculi show up?"

"I'm interested in this 'Plan A' as well," said a new voice. "Do tell us, Envy."

Will could feel all of the blood in his face draining. He knew that voice anywhere. Everyone turned to see a figure emerging from behind the west wall. It was a middle-aged-looking man with long blond hair and deathly pale skin. He wore the robes of the Xerxian people, and his presence commanded a certain amount of fear and formality. Even the lowliest thief could discern him as a force not to be trifled with. No doubt about it. Father had arrived.

And like a total moron, Amery yelled, "Well well well, look what the cat dragged in! How's it hanging, bedsheet-boy?"

Everyone, save for Father, whipped around and gave her bug-eyed expression.

"What?" she asked innocently.

Apparently choosing to ignore the witch's stupidity, Father looked at Will. "I must admit, Envy, I'm impressed. Doubling back on me like that must have taken all of your courage. Sadly, that courage will not be rewarded. I can't allow anymore deception now that I'm so close to accomplishing my goals."

Will clenched his jaw shut, suddenly finding his anger again. "Your goals are sick and demented! You can't become a god!"

The ever-gutsy one, Amery added, "The spirits that house the Divine powers were chosen by Creation and Destruction at the very beginning of the universe. That power stays with those spirits forever. Either you're a god or you're not. End of story."

Father all but growled, "Spare me your lectures, witch. You forget that this world is not the one you come from."

Then Alphonse finally found his voice. "Maybe so, but this world has laws, too! The Truth isn't going to just stand by and let you break every rule known to alchemy!"

Father looked at the armor and paused for a moment. "And you are confident Truth cannot be overcome? Both you and your brother defy this world's laws by simply existing here."

"All the more reason your goals are impossible to achieve!" Allephe cut in, readying her javelin. "The Moon Stone comes from _their_ world, which also has laws. Face it, you're headed for a dead end in all directions."

Winry knitted her brow. "I'm confused. How many 'worlds' are there?"

"It doesn't matter," Will snapped. "The point is he won't listen to reason. Therefore he needs to be killed."

He drew Selena's sword and threw a glance back at the entrance. "Looks like Beth and the others aren't coming. We'll have to do this ourselves. Everyone get ready!"

The three witches sprung into battle stances. Aliss whispered something into Winry's ear and handed her one of her bead chains. The girl took it and nodded, copying her stance. Alphonse crouched and positioned his hands to face each other, ready to clap. Finally, Will shed his merchant's appearance and took his natural form. Father simply stood there with an unimpressed expression.

"Go!" Will shouted.


	46. Chapter 46

Golden Scales Ch. 46

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

o.O.0.O.o

To sum it up, things were not looking good for Team Good. As soon as the witches made the first advance, they were quickly pushed back by a huge wall of transmuted stone. After Al blasted the wall apart and Amery slipped through, she came back with a dislocated shoulder and the end of her pony tail smoking. If it weren't for Aliss's blood spell, she might've retreated with more serious injuries. Will was convinced that, despite the obvious irritation in his expression, Father was holding back. A _lot_.

Especially against the girl Will had never seen before. The blonde one, who the armor claimed to be the siren's mechanic. Winry, it seemed, was her name. Will had to admit, he was very impressed with her. She took the stress of the situation like a champ. There she was, ignoring bits of shrapnel that flew past her as she held Aliss's beads and concentrated on the mantra the witch taught her. If Will wasn't mistaken, he'd say she was chanting the very same blood spell as Aliss. A very demanding spell, but Winry didn't look fatigued at all. Nonetheless, Father didn't seem interested in her in the least. Perhaps her blood spell wasn't working well enough?

A chunk of flying rock startled him out of his thoughts as it smashed against his calf. He looked up to see Allephe's lightning undoing the wall this time, and Alphonse coming in on the offence. Of course, Father batted him aside as effortlessly as he would a pesky fly. The armor rung as it tumbled into a nearby wall and crashed against the floor. That blow would've been devastating if the kid had a body.

While his team members worked to wear Father down, which they weren't doing a very good job of, Will was forced to wait. It made him angry, but he knew Father wouldn't be holding back against him. He needed back-up. He needed to wait until Beth and the others showed up.

And that they did just a few minutes later. Will breathed a sigh of relief. Until complete horror pierced his stomach when he noticed they weren't walking. They were being carried in, limp and lifeless as plucked turkeys, by none other than Sloth. What was already an escalated amount of panic shot even more skyward as the figure of a small child strolled in through the shadows behind the massive creature. It was Pride.

The witches stopped their advances to stare. Alphonse picked himself up and nudged Winry to stop her chanting. Will could only scowl as the little brat made his way to the center of the cavern.

"We dispatched three of the traitors, Father."

The man in the robes did not smile, but he said, "Excellent. You're just in time."

Father turned to Will, his eyes full of wrath. "Do you see how pathetic your treason was? Your incompetence is evident in all that you do. Even when you act on your own desires you can't manage to get anything done. Your cause is hopeless."

"Hopeless, huh?" said a new voice. "We'll see about that, dude! I specialize in hopeless!"

Everyone collectively turned towards the cavern entrance to see a couple of teenagers standing side by side: one with windswept black hair and a tattered orange shirt, the other with long golden hair tied in a rope-like braid and a simple white shirt. Father seemed at a loss as to the identity of the two, but Will recognized the golden-haired one immediately.

o.O.0.O.o

Winry immediately recognized the teen with the gold hair. She didn't know the mouthy one, but she didn't care. There Edward was, in front of her very eyes, alive and in one piece. Relief seemed to overwhelm her as she looked him up and down. He was human again, with long golden strands that reached well past his hips. His golden eyes blazed with the same fire they had when he bore the title Fullmetal, a feature she thought she'd never see again. He wore a simple cotton shirt and shorts with no shoes, giving the impression of a shipwreck survivor. Oddly enough, a small conch shell glittered against his chest, fastened to a length of black twine. But what really caught her attention was his arms and legs. They were completely whole again! Part of her was a little disappointed. She'd never again get the opportunity to tease him about that weird birthmark high up on his left thigh. The other part of her was relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about him damaging her art anymore. All in all, she was ecstatic that he was there.

She glanced over at Al, and while the armor didn't easily express his emotions, she could tell from his stillness that he was taking it all in. Al seemed to silently agree with her that it wasn't a good idea to shout his name.

"And who might you be?" the man in the robes asked, a bit or irritation evident in his voice.

"Now why would I tell you that?" the one with the black hair responded. "My name almost always gets me in trouble. Besides, we're just here to bust heads and leave."

The teen suddenly fished what looked like an ordinary pen out of his pocket. When he uncapped it, however, a gleaming bronze sword took its place. It glowed slightly, and as the kid nonchalantly held it like it was simply an extension of himself, Winry noticed a feature of his appearance that her first glance hadn't made obvious: he was quite literally glowing as well. A dark turquoise aura seemed to flow around him, encasing him in power.

It was at this point that the two standing behind the robed man attempted to spring into action. But before they could even make it halfway across the cavern the man said,

"Stop."

The two halted and turned around to look at him. The one that looked like an eight-year-old wore an are-you-out-of-your-mind? expression.

"I'd like to handle this myself," he supplied, waving the two back behind him. Reluctantly, they obeyed and the man took a few steps forward.

At this point, Winry caught a glint of something shiny out of the corner of her eye. While the tense conversation between Ed's companion and the robed man simply commanded her attention, her animalistic instinct to investigate shiny glints overpowered her. She looked to her right for a moment to see the one who called himself Will handing his sword to Alphonse as he whispered something to him. The armor's helmet gave him a small nod and Will hurried out of the cavern. The robed man, it seemed, noticed this as well but chose not to do anything about it.

"I suppose your identity is trivial," the man stated, his previous scowl loosening. "What I'd like to know is how you plan on, as you say, 'busting heads' with only what appears to be an ordinary writing utensil."

Winry frowned. A writing utensil? She knew it had started out as a pen, but the robed man couldn't see the sword? Who was going crazy, her or him?

The black-haired teen's eyes widened. "You can't see it either? Is there _anyone_ here that can?"

"I can see it," Amery chirped. "And I think you're better off trying to fight with a pen. That rusted piece of junk looks like its ready to shatter. Honestly, did you go through Tartarus with that thing?"

The teen's jaw dropped in astonishment, but before he could respond, the robed man all but shouted, "Enough of this useless banter! I believe this here is the elusive siren we've been meaning to catch."

Winry had to physically stop herself from gasping as the man's finger pointed straight for Ed. The neighbor boy took a few uneasy steps back, but the teen with the sword rolled his eyes and shoved him forward again. He whispered something in Ed's ear, then Ed's back straightened as it seemed his confidence returned.

The robed man ignored this and continued, "I've waited centuries too long to set the same exact plans in motion. In that time my _useless_ sins have failed me time after time, and some have even come to conspire against me. I'd begun to doubt that my goals were even attainable. I'd come to the conclusion that the Oracle of Orta had lead me on a wild goose chase. But here this creature is, delivered to me on a silver platter by the fates themselves. This time I cannot let my homunculi fail me. If I want something done, I must do it myself!"

With that, the robed man became the dis-robed man, revealing a simple white tunic and loose linen pants underneath. Tattooed on his arms, however, were countless runic symbols and swirly-looking, disorientating-to-look-at patterns that Winry couldn't make any sense of. The man took a defensive stance, which cued the rest of Team Good to take up their own stances.

Then something odd happened. Even from across the cavern, Winry could hear Ed filling his lungs with air, the way he did when he was about to go on one of his short-rants. But it seemed the tattooed man _really_ didn't want Ed to speak, because before any words could come out, the man sent a spire of stone in Ed's direction.

o.O.0.O.o

The witches immediately sprung into action and went on the direct offence. Winry, looking a little panic-y, wrapped the red beads around her hands and began Aliss's blood spell again. The mouthy black-haired teen swung his pen at the incoming rain of rocks, and somehow he was doing a fine job of defending himself like that. The siren tried making a few unintelligible shouts, but Father's rocks always stopped him short. Pride and Sloth, adhering to Father's orders, stayed back and watched the action from the shadows. Greed, Allister, and Beth were still conked out on the floor where Sloth had dumped them.

Meanwhile, Alphonse hid the Jade Sword inside his leg and carefully picked his way across to the other side of the cavern. Will smiled as he watched it all from a crack in the ceiling. Plan B was in progress.

Unfortunately, that smile was short-lived. Two minutes later, everything started going wrong.

An ear-piercing scream rang out when a bolt of Allephe's lightning ricocheted off a piece of scrap metal and zapped Aliss. This freed Father of her blood spell and he immediately started making his way over to the siren, moving out of prime position and ruining Will's plan. One of Father's flying rocks slammed into the black-haired teen's chest, effectively knocking the wind out of him. He fell to the hard stone floor. Then Beth finally came to. Once she'd seen enough of what was happening, and she spotted the siren, she stupidly yelled,

"Ed! Tell him to stop!"

Apparently, this caused Father's anger to boil over. Alphonse, who had been attempting to sneak up behind him with the Jade Sword as Will told him to, was knocked back by a wall of stone. This wall of stone, however, was anything but kind. It crushed the armor, visibly bending the metal beyond shapely recognition. If there was a body in there, it would've been killed instantly. Ed, seeing this, looked downright horrifying as his patience reached its breaking point. However, he didn't get a chance to do anything. Because then, it seemed, Father was fed up with all of the fighting.

Massive waves of rock shot in all directions, enveloping _everyone_. Even Pride and Sloth were swept up in the rocks' clutches. When the rocks stopped moving, everyone except Will and Father was encased in stone from the neck down. The siren's mouth was effectively clamped shut by a strip of scrap metal.

"Say one word, and they _all_ die," he growled.


	47. Chapter 47

Golden Scales Ch. 47

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'t own Fullmetal Alchemist or Percy Jackson.**

 **This is it, folks. The last chapter. There's a lot of content ahead, but it needs to be all in one chapter. So brace yourselves for a long one.**

o.O.0.O.o

There I was again. A picture of despair. I felt as if I were back in our old basement, clutching my freshly severed thigh and bawling my eyes out as I watched those evil black hands tear my only brother apart. I felt completely helpless, and so very afraid. Afraid of losing my family all over again, one by one, before my very eyes. And, once again, I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't even cry. I wouldn't let myself cry in front of that sick, demented bastard. Not to mention I couldn't bring myself to break down in front of everyone. I may be a lot of things, but a sore loser isn't one of them.

So I did nothing as the tension in the room slowly dissipated. When the bastard finally deemed the situation stable, he lowered his outstretched hands and rolled his shoulders. I watched as he broke the rocks around two of the homunculi and spat out a couple of impatient orders: to bring about the closest ship they could find, and prepare it for a voyage to the Miru Island. The giant one with no eyes simply groaned and began slugging himself away. But the one that looked like a little kid tried to argue. I winced as the man repeated the order with enough ferocity to make an angry mama bear cower. The kid fled the cavern in such a hurry he nearly ran right into one of the man's stone-encased captives on his way out.

That stone-encased captive just so happened to be Winry.

It took all my of will power not to let out a strangled cry when I saw the look on her face. She was absolutely horrified. I could tell she was on the brink of breaking down and crying. I could see the tears welling in her eyes, and the shattered light I saw in the mirror for so long begin to enter her eyes. The neighbor girl, who had done nothing wrong her whole life, who had endured the death of _both_ her parents, and who had been let in on all of the twisted details of my life and still somehow managed to lift my spirits… that amazing girl did not belong here. Anywhere but here, in the middle of this nightmare with me.

I couldn't take it anymore. I looked away. Unfortunately, my eyes landed upon the mangled collection of metal my brother's soul occupied. Even though all I could see was the dented helmet and shoulder plating, I knew that beneath those rocks the rest of his armor was simply un-salvageable. If we ever got out of this alive, I'd have to take him to a very, _very_ trustworthy alchemist. I cringed at the thought of having to explain to Teacher that I'd lost my ability to perform alchemy.

I looked over at the witches next. The three, it seemed, had somewhat lost their fighting spirit. Even Amery hadn't made a peep since being encased in Father's stones. She was looking down at the floor with a blank stare, as if she was a livestock animal awaiting its slaughter. Allephe appeared to be unconscious. Aliss was looking right at me. Like, into my eyes and soul. The sheer guilt on her face, and the ungodly amount of tears streaming down her face… it made my stomach churn. Even worse than Aliss's expression was the guilt _I_ felt. Those three sisters had done nothing but take care of me and look out for me. And now they were being held hostage by a psycho, because said psycho knew better than to trust the piece of scrap metal wrapped around my mouth.

I switched my gaze over to Percy. Like Allephe, he was out cold. Unlike Allephe, I hadn't known him for very long. But I still felt like he'd already wriggled his way into my family somehow. As if he just showed up in my life one day and became my crazy cousin who got away with way too many pranks. Even though he had no obligation to help me, he made this gigantic nightmare I called my life his business and risked his own life on numerous occasions to save my world and solve my problems. For that, I owed him a lot. And I felt awful that he was in this mess because of me.

Finally I looked over at Beth, who was seething with absolute loathing. She stared daggers at the tattooed man as he paced back and forth between his throne and a giant hunk of scrap metal. When he paced closer to me, Beth caught my eye. Her expression read: _you idiot! Why are you here!?_

She was right. They were all in this mess because of me. Every one of them. Winry, Alphonse, Percy, the witches, and even Beth herself. All of them were under the threat of being crushed because I thought it was a good idea to prove my worth and barge in where I shouldn't have. Maybe they all had a game plan, and I'd ruined it the moment I stepped into the cavern.

Suddenly the rocks shifted around me, pulling themselves closer together and shaking me out of my trance. The tattooed man appeared in front of me, seemingly from nowhere. I gave him my worst scowl as he circled around me like a vulture, scanning what little he could see of me.

"Now this wasn't so hard, was it?" he murmured to himself. "I just needed to get close enough, and it's helpless trapped in stone like so."

Then he looked right into my eyes with a small smirk. "And to think I used to fear your kind."

My temper flared and I tried to shout, "SHUT UP!" But nothing got past the piece of scrap metal. The bastard laughed and paced back towards the throne. For him, that was a bad idea. Because a few seconds later, the ceiling above that throne collapsed.

"ARGH!" he grunted as heavy chunks of stone pummeled him left and right. Finally, one large section landed squarely on top of him, pinning him to the ground. The last thing to fall into the cavern was the dude who had tossed me into the sea earlier that week. He landed with practiced ease, sprinted over to me, and ripped the metal off my face.

I didn't need an explanation to know what he wanted me to do, so I quickly filled my lungs and shouted,

"Stop, Father!"

The guy, Will I think his name was, buzzed around the room, performing small bits of alchemy to free everyone from their stone prisons, while I watched the effects of my voice in awe.

To my surprise, it actually worked on the psycho. As soon as the words left my mouth, the man froze in the act of crawling out from under the huge ceiling chunk. He was stuck in an awkward position with his left hand wedged under the rock, and the other shaking under the strain of supporting half his body weight. His legs were still effectively pinned under the rock.

Soon enough, I too was freed from my rock column. The unconscious members of our group, Allephe, Percy, and two others I didn't recognize, were dragged over to the rest of us as we gathered around the cavern entrance. At this point, I didn't even care that I needed an outside helping hand to escape from the situation. I just cared that everyone was safe again. And I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw that the rocks hadn't crushed Alphonse's armor as bad as I thought: he was only flatted a bit and dented in some places, not mangled beyond repair. He was even able to walk and stand with us.

He retrieved what I recognized as Will's sword from his leg. "Um, Mr. Will? Can I not be Plan B anymore?"

"Of course. Everything is under control now." The brown-haired man smiled and took the sword.

Then he looked around at everyone. "Does anyone want the honors of killing the first homunculus?"

Before I could hear anyone respond, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me. Every nerve in my body jumped, and I just about bitch-slapped the girl next door in my fright. Winry had tears streaming down her face as she clung to my chest.

"Y-you… You left me again… Stop doing that…" she rasped.

Softening my posture and un-tensing my shoulders, I hugged her back. "Don't worry. I'm done leaving."

Alphonse placed his gauntlet on my shoulder as soon as Winry let go. "I'm glad to see you're okay, Brother."

I turned to him and grinned. "Are you kidding? I'm glad _you're_ okay, Al! I thought your armor was a goner!"

"Me too." He chuckled and habitually rubbed the back of his helmet.

After a few minutes of catching up, Aliss and Amery walked over.

"So, Ed," Amery said with a smirk, "You still up for getting that Moon Stone for us?"

Aliss elbowed her, but I laughed. "Of course. I need to fix Al here, after all."

Winry, however, frowned. "That's not dangerous is it? He's not going to be risking his life again, right?"

Aliss shook her head and smiled. "Not at all. As soon as the sea star sees that he's a siren from the Seventh Dimension, it should let him take it without a problem. That's where the Moon Stone is from, after all."

"Yeah… I'm confused here," Al said. "Why are people from all different worlds here in the first place?"

Amery sighed. "Well, I won't go into the boring details, but basically the barriers between the worlds got shattered a while back. That's when a bunch of wars were going down too, so naturally a lot of species got flip-flopped around. The sirens from the Seventh Dimension must've colonized and populated the oceans here in the Third Dimension, and apparently they brought the Moon Stone with them. That's all we know."

I wasn't even going to begin trying to decode all that. I honestly didn't care how I ended up in the wrong world or whatever. If it meant that I could just waltz into some underwater temple and take a priceless artifact without consequence, that was good enough for me.

I glanced around the cavern at everyone. It seemed the tension had left everyone's shoulders, and things were slowly going back to normalcy. Will and Beth were chatting it up with the now awake Allephe. Percy also was starting to come to. My brother, Winry, and the two witches were having a headache-inducing conversation about the different "worlds" and where everyone came from.

 _I guess my stupidity didn't doom everyone after all_ , I thought.

The thought crossed my mind with impeccable timing. Because right then, the universe felt the need to prove me wrong once again. Unfortunately, while I was gathering my bearings, I'd forgotten all about how the effects of my commands wore off eventually. And I was sorely reminded of that when a razor thin spire of stone drove itself clean through my side.

Without an ounce of intelligent thought, a horrible earth-shattering screech burst out of my mouth.

o.O.0.O.o

Her body acted on its own accord, as if her conscious brain simply shut down, and some unseen force took over for her. All she could feel was the anger, and all she could see was green smoke. Later, the three witch sisters would explain what she did, but at the time Winry had very little clue as to what was really going on. Other than an unrelenting thought: kill.

For years after, she would refuse to let herself feel guilt for it. But after a while, the notion of her ferocity weighed on her. As Ed liked to explain it, she'd "snapped" and gone completely animalistic for a short duration. Instincts she didn't know she had had kicked in and took over for her. And now, after many years of shoving it to the back of her mind, she decided to bring it front and center to be examined and dealt with. She let herself play it out, with information from those who saw it illuminating what she couldn't see.

To put it frankly, Winry took the sword from Will and killed Father. Her natural wind-inclined powers awakened and augmented the Jade Dragon as it consumed every last soul the homunculus possessed, many of which hailing from Xerxes. Allephe told her that Father didn't even have time to react to her sudden actions, as he couldn't get over the shock that she, an inexperienced witch, would make such a direct advance. She'd collapsed immediately after the Dragon had finished its work, her powers completely drained.

She woke up about two weeks later, in her bedroom back in Resembool. Edward was at the foot of her bed, alive and well, standing beside someone she didn't recognize at first. When Alphonse finally spoke and introduced himself with a slightly drowsy slur in his voice, she couldn't stop herself from bursting into tears. Both of them, Winry and Al, weren't in the best physical condition, with Winry being exhausted and Al still getting used to his body, but the two had managed a short embrace with a little help from Ed.

The Aerugonian breeze slipped its gentle fingers through her hair as she smiled at the memory. The outcome of her "snap," she decided, was more than a hundred times worth it. And it was then that she finally seemed to make peace with it. Watching her two children splash each other in the surf, one that looked just like his dad, and the other her mom, she knew that she wouldn't change a single thing about that day all those years ago.

She shut the book she'd been pretending to read and sat up a little in her beach chair. She glanced back to see that the fairly sizable group of people was still huddled around that gathering of boulders, chit-chatting the morning away. Her brother-in-law had his arm wrapped around the shoulders of his betrothed, a pretty Xingese princess he'd bumped into on his travels in the East. Leaning against a large boulder, swirling the sand around with her toes, was a woman Winry had come to know as the owner of the Jade Sword. A sword that Winry shouldn't have even been able to use, the red-haired gypsy explained to her. Selena concluded that Winry's sheer willpower must've nullified the enchantments long enough for her to do the dirty deed. Next to her stood Fuhrer Mustang, along with General Hawkeye. To their right was the former homunculi, excluding Greed. Beth, Allister, Will, and Selim were engaged in what sounded like a conversation with Roy and Riza about military corruption in Creta. Finally, a little ways away from them sat two families in the sand: all four witch sisters, and the Harrisons. Marie and Jack, who was a teenager now, both wore the same kind of conch shell as Ed did to appear human. The group was laughing over a joke John just got through telling them.

They were all gathered on the abandoned beach, awaiting Edward's return from the sea. It was a kind of surprise party Winry arranged last minute. With her exceptionally superb teleportation skills, being allied with wind and all, getting everyone there in time wasn't much of an issue.

Still, Winry couldn't help but feel a bit worried despite all the happy moods and the glorious weather. Her husband had told her that he'd be back in three weeks time, but she wasn't so sure about that number. After all, his trips to the underwater city often went on the longer side. Especially since he'd established a secure connection to the Fifth Dimension: Percy's world. Winry would hate to have to host all of the people gathered by the rocks behind her. Their house was big, but not _that_ big.

Fortunately, when she peered over the surf, she caught sight of a head bobbing out of the water: a head with golden hair. She grinned. But then her grin faded a bit when she noticed three more heads surfacing. However, after the heads rose as they approached the shore, Winry's full grin came back. She recognized the others as the Jackson family. Percy, Annabeth, and their little girl, Lacy, were trudging through the waves with Edward.

Immediately, their children, Nicky and Sarah trotted through the water to tackle their father. Edward pretended to collapse under their weight, commenting how big they were both getting. Soon enough they moved on to playing with Lacy and the adults waded in until they reached the sand.

"Wow," Edward said loudly, impressed. "Look at all the people I know!"

Winry rose and gave her husband a warm embrace. "I thought it would be a nice surprise."

He grinned. "What can I say? You're the best, Winry."

The group by the rocks made their way over to them. Roy smirked. "Well, well, look what the catfish dragged in. Still making the rounds, huh, Fullmetal?"

Edward laughed. "You bet."

"Speaking of rounds," Annabeth added thoughtfully, "Did they fix that dome on that old observatory yet?"

The group of people erupted into a million different conversations over the course of the day. Winry occasionally added her two cenz, but otherwise she was content to sit back and watch. It wasn't until their bonfire ran out of wood that the group finally started dispersing into the night. Al and Mei were the first to go, since they had a train to catch. Then Roy, Riza, Selena, and the homunculi filtered out. The Jacksons were the last ones to leave, then finally it was just the Elrics.

Nicky was still wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, but Sarah was sound asleep, curled up in Winry's lap. Edward rubbed his cheeks and jokingly complained about how they were sore from smiling all day. Winry, on the other hand, remembered something unpleasant. Apparently, Edward noticed, because right then he said,

"Winry? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him solemnly. "It's nothing, really. I've… um… invited someone over tonight. I hope you won't get mad at me."

Nicky had busied himself with seashell hunting by the shore, so he probably couldn't hear anything. But Edward frowned. "Why would I get mad? Who did you invite?"

"I think… I think it's better if you just wait and see."

He gave her a quirked brow. "O-kaay. I'm sure I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

A small part of her breathed a sigh of relief, and a small smile pulled at her lips. That was one of the many reasons she loved him. He always knew what to say to make her feel better. Even if half the time he ended up regretting it.

o.O.0.O.o

Later that evening, I sat in my chair by the huge floor-to-ceiling window that peered out over the shore. Nicky laid on the adjacent couch with his arms folded underneath his head on the arm as he listened to me read aloud from one of my old alchemy journals. The actual bits about alchemy bored him, but he enjoyed my margin notes, where I kept a detailed dairy of what was going on in my life. I was a horrible writer back then, and I could barely read what I'd scribbled all those years ago, but I supplemented the stories with the memories I was able to recall. Just like me when I was his age, Nicky got a real kick out of all my adventures as a State Alchemist.

I'd forgotten all about our scheduled visitor until I heard a tentative knock on the front door.

"Awww!" Nicky complained as I bookmarked my spot. "Who's here at ten o' clock at night, anyway?"

I rolled my eyes and rose to get the door. "I can finish the story of the Freezing Alchemist tomorrow, Nicky. Now off to bed."

The kid groaned and dragged his feet, but complied. Once he turned down the end of the hall, I opened the door. When I saw the person on the other side, I let out a small gasp.

It was my father.

"Edward, is that you?" he spoke softly, nervousness evident in his voice.

I resisted the urge to give him a sneer and shut the door in his face. Instead, I crossed my arms and leaned against the door frame with an irritated frown. "What do you want, Van?"

The man winced. "I just thought I'd… Well, your wife-"

"Say no more," I sighed, finally realizing why Winry was afraid I'd get mad. "Just get in and sit down somewhere." I opened the door wider and stepped aside.

The man's shoulders seemed to drop in relief. He readjusted his hat as he stepped through the door and slid into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. I sat down on the other side of him, wondering why Winry thought it was necessary to seek closure for things all this sudden. She'd already confronted her fears of the ever-so-terrifying "snaps" we magical creatures were capable of. Why did I need to confront my abandonment issues? There was nothing to confront. I hated my father. That was it. End of story.

Although, I did have one question for him. Something that had been burning at the back of my mind since the day he left us.

"I want to ask you something," I began.

The man looked up in surprise. "Yes?"

I scowled and crossed my arms. "Why did you leave us?"

A shadow crossed over his face. He tilted his head down and stared at the table. I was about to ask him again when suddenly he sighed.

"I left… because I was a coward, Edward," he began. "I knew the homunculi would come for you someday, and… I didn't know what to do. I felt like… if I stayed… I'd end up making things worse somehow."

I scrunched my nose in anger. "And you thought leaving would make it better? Everything turned out a hundred times worse because you left! Mom _died_ waiting for you! And you left behind your _stupid_ research, something me and Al should have never found! _You're_ the reason our lives turned into a living HELL!"

The man straightened. "Now that's a little overblown, Edward. It was _your_ choice to perform human transmutation, even though you two knew it was wrong. That's not _my_ fault."

"Whatever! My point still stands."

No one said anything for a while. Then my father sighed. "You're right, Edward. I shouldn't have left. I was wrong to do that, and I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. I just… I thought when your wife told me to come, that-"

"That you were forgiven and everything was sunshine and rainbows again? Fat chance, old man. You've got a lot of proving to do before I even _think_ about trusting you again."

He looked up at me, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You mean… you're giving me another chance?"

I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms. "Yeah, whatever. I'm not doing it because I want to, if that's what you're thinking. If Winry wants you back in our lives, then that's good enough for me."

The man's shoulders once again dropped in relief. Only this time, I could see it in his face, too.

Then suddenly a little voice said, "Hey, Dad! Look what I drew!"

A piece of paper was abruptly shoved into my face, depicting a crude drawing of the Freezing Alchemist being punched by my old automail fist. At first, I smiled. But then I remembered something.

"Didn't I tell you to go to bed?" I asked, frowning down at Nicky.

"I couldn't refuse the muse, Dad!" he said, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "You gotta do art when the mood strikes, or it's gone forever!"

Then he stopped bouncing and looked over at the man across the table suspiciously. "Who's the ten o' clock stranger, Dad?"

I sighed, taking a moment to gather my thoughts and decide on the answer. The man looked down at my son with a small smile pulling at his lips. Then he looked up at me curiously, and his smile disappeared as he awaited my answer. I supposed I _had_ already told him I'd give him a second chance. Besides, if he did anything to hurt me or my family again, I could just light him up with enough electricity to power a small town.

Finally, I stood up, grabbed my son's hand, and guided him over to the old man. I said, "Nicky, this is my dad, and your grandfather. Say hello to Grandpa Van."

o.O.0.O.o

 **Awwww! What a cute ending! At least, I think so.**

 **This is the end of Golden Scales, folks! I'm not making any sequels to this, so this concludes my experiment with the extremely difficult topic of mermaid!Ed.**

 **In case you wanted to know, I was inspired to write this story by… another story just like it! I read The Call of Atlantis by agent000 and thought, "Meh. I think I can do better." Boy was** _ **I**_ **sorry! This was HARD! But anyway, check it out if you're into mermaid!Ed. It's literally the only other story I know of on this site that follows that topic.**

 **Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering, "What will she do next?" And if you've read my bio, you'll know that I originally planned for this to be my last long fanfic. Now, though, I'm reconsidering. I have an idea that isn't so far-fetched as mermaid!Ed that I'd like to explore. After I've drafted a beginning that I'm happy with, I will post an exert of it on my bio. This time, I'm determined to FINISH the thing before I start posting. The idea doesn't warrant too long of a story, so it should only take me about a year to complete. To give you an idea of what it's about I will give you three hints: the Sewing Life Alchemist, chimeras, and human transmutation. And no, it isn't going to be as bad as that might sound. No horror, I promise. :)**

 **That's about all I wanted to say. I hope you enjoyed this story! See you next time!**


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